# Election News for August 9 | USLege

> Texas election updates for August 9, 2017. Track special session developments, challenger candidates, and state legislative news from TXElects.

Canonical: https://www.uslege.ai/news/election-news-for-august-9

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# Election News for August 9

TXElects August 9, 2017

This article is preserved from the TXElects archive. For current coverage, read [The Political Spotlight](/newsletters).

**SC4**: District Judge R.K. Sandill announced he would challenge Justice John Devine (R) as a Democrat. He was first elected to the 127th District Court in Harris Co. in 2008 and was re-elected in 2012 and 2016. According to his web site, Sandill was the first person of South Asian descent to be elected a district judge in Texas.

**HD104**: Dallas attorney John Ting established a campaign committee for a potential primary challenge of Rep. Roberto Alonzo (D-Dallas).

**HD126**: Houston resident Josh Hall established a campaign committee for a potential challenge of Rep. Kevin Roberts (R-Houston). We were unable to determine his occupation and political affiliation conclusively.

**SEN**: Former Corpus Christi Mayor Dan McQueen, who [resigned just 37 days into his term](https://web.archive.org/web/20240524004753/https://txelects.wpengine.com/appointments-and-a-resignation/), announced he would challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R). He has not indicated whether he will run in the Republican primary, but the issues listed on his campaign’s web site mirror those of Republican primary candidates.

**_See our_** [**_2018 Challengers page_**](https://web.archive.org/web/20240524004753/https://txelects.wpengine.com/2018-challengers/) **_for all 232 challengers and open-seat candidates who we confirm have taken a formal step toward running for state and federal office from Texas in 2018._**

**Special Session**: The House, by a 90-37 vote, gave preliminary approval to a bill intended to reduce mail-in ballot fraud. Senate Bill 5 by Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) would increase penalties for voter fraud committed via mail-in ballots, particularly for individuals convicted of prior or concurrent election fraud offenses or the victim was a voter aged 65 or older. The bill included an amendment repealing provisions passed during the regular session that permit election officials to provide assistance at nursing facilities. Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Fort Worth), the House sponsor of Senate Bill 5, said the nursing facility provisions would have stretched the resources of county election administrators. “It’s basically an unfunded mandate,” he said during House debate on his amendment.

_©2017 Texas Election Source LLC_

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