3301 News Items Found
September 4, 2020
Vote-by-Mail Security in a Time of Covid-19
"There will be new challenges to mitigate the risks of voting fraud, but those challenges are secondary to the primary importance of voting itself," wrote Baker Institute Faculty Scholar Dan Wallach in support of expanding vote-by-mail systems in Texas.
Read more at Medium September 4, 2020
Guyana’s Oil Bonanza Could Inflame Its Ethnic Divisions
“One of the worst circumstances you can have is a country polarized politically and ethnically that is about to be awash in a huge amount of money,” said fellow Francisco Monaldi of Guyana, site of the Western Hemisphere’s biggest new oil find in decades.
Read more at Bloomberg September 2, 2020
Hidalgo: A Victim of Her Success in 2022?
Lina Hidalgo’s forceful if controversial handling of the pandemic in Houston – Texas' largest metro area – has provided Democrats with an example of what the youthful progressive wing of their party can do when it has the power to make decisions on the ground in a life-and-death situation. While it is unlikely that voters would again elect a Republican county judge, said political science fellow Mark Jones, Hidalgo’s success has shown Democrats that victory is possible, and she may face strong primary challengers in 2022.
Read more at Politico September 1, 2020
NASA and Potential Private, Academic Partners Discuss Lunar Exploration
Experts from government, industry and academia recently discussed space exploration and commercial enterprise at a virtual forum hosted by NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Baker Institute and Texas A&M University. “As we return once more to the moon, there are many opportunities for both government and industry and for international cooperation. The Lunar Forum will hopefully lead to the definition and realization of those opportunities,” said George Abbey, senior fellow in space policy.
Read more at Round Up Reads September 1, 2020
Harris Co. Approves $17m Plan to Expand Voting Access
Harris County will have an extra week of early voting and more than 100 additional places for voters to cast ballots under an expansive plan approved by Commissioners Court. The plan, which includes drive-through options and early morning/late night balloting hours, aims to ensure that "voting in person is safer than going to the grocery store,” said political science fellow Mark Jones. “To the extent to which other county clerks follow [Harris County's] lead, it’s more and more difficult to make the case that voting in person represents a risk to someone’s health.”
Read more at the Houston Chronicle