Category: elections

Come on, Candidates

Campaigning = Communicating

I don’t care if you’re a local candidate representing a county or portion thereof. I don’t care if you don’t have an opponent (yet). I don’t care if you’ve raised money or not. Have a website. Have the courtesy to communicate in some detail why you are running and what you hope to accomplish.

Facebook is not a website. Twitter is not a website. Instagram and TikTok are not websites. They are social media channels demanding short, visual posts.

Social channelsThe use of social media channels varies by age group. Who do you want to reach? Want to reach those aged 18 to 29? According to Pew Research, you should be posting on Instagram: “eight-in-ten adults ages 18 to 29 say they use Instagram”. Nearly every age group uses YouTube. Pew Research continues, “About half of U.S. adults go on Facebook and YouTube daily, 24% do so on TikTok.”

That means about half of U.S. adults do not go on Facebook. If a candidate is only on Facebook and not on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok, that candidate is not connecting with potentially 50% of voters.

YouTube and TikTok are video platforms. Short, 30 second to 1-minute videos work well. Instagram requires a photo or video to post. Every channel demands short posts.

So how can a candidate connect with the details they want to share with voters: a platform, a page for donations, a place for email signups, an appearance calendar?

A website, of course. And, in every social post, include a link to that website. Keep the domain name as relevant and short as possible. It should be in the bio / profile of each social channel so visitors can link to it.

For years, I’ve taught government officials that people want posts coming to where they live online. They’re not coming to look for you. You must go to them. And once you connect on a social channel, lead them to more detail on a website.

And please, please, please test the website and all its links on Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari at a minimum. Desktop percentages of use are:

Chrome71.25%
Edge10.39%
Safari8.64%
Firefox5.23%
Desktop Browser Market Share in United States Of America – October 2025

And, test it for mobile use (which is likely at least 50% of web visitors). In fact, if you can, design mobile-first. Mobile percentages of use are:

Safari49.4%
Chrome42.26%
Samsung Internet3.38%
Brave1.51%
Firefox1.44%
Mobile Browser Market Share in United States Of America – October 2025

Stats courtesy Statcounter Global Stats

This country is blessed to have elections for those who represent us. A representative republic demands an informed constituency. Candidates should have the common courtesy to inform those they expect to vote for them. A website is a necessity. It should be created before a candidate files to run. It’s the least a candidate can do to build support.

This blog post was written after looking up the websites for all state-wide and local candidates who have filed to run in the Texas GOP primary on March 3, 2026. That list will be published on LostPinesRW.club for voters to access and learn about candidates.

Follow the Money

Money - US bills It’s that time again. Candidates must file to run in the March 2026 primary no later than December 8. As I’ve written before, where candidates get their campaign funds will tell voters a lot about a candidate’s loyalties should they get elected.

Look for out-of-state donors, lobbyists, other candidates, Political Action Committees (PACs), leadership (like TX House speaker, Washington leadership PACs).

A “How-to” Guide

From the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) website:

Filers who run for and/or hold statewide offices and multi-county offices that may include Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, Railroad Commissioner, Land Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner, State Chair of political party, Texas Senate, Texas House of Representatives, Multi-county District Attorney, State Board of Education, Supreme Court Justice, Court of Appeals Justice, Court of Criminal Appeals Judge, and district judges must file with the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC). (emphasis added)

These candidates file their financial reports with the Texas Ethics Commission on a schedule set by law.

Filers who run for and/or hold local offices, before they can raise or expend any money, must “file a campaign treasurer appointment, even if the candidate does not intend to raise or spend money. [They] are permitted to appoint [themselves] as [their] treasurer.” If they have run before and not filed a final report, they do not have to re-file another appointment of a campaign treasurer form.

Just by following the money, you’ll be able to tell which are the people’s candidates and which are the establishment, donor class candidates. Happy searching & learning!

Where to find data

BastropVotes: Search local candidates (click > next to a candidate name for a dropdown list of filings)

FEC (Federal Election Commission): US Senate, US House of Representatives, President, Vice President

OpenSecrets.org (contributions over $200)

List of all candidates who have filed to run in the March 2026 Primary (filter by party, federal, state, or county offices)

Election Integrity: Highest Priority

For many elections, I have served as presiding judge of the Early Voting Ballot Board, Signature Verification Committee and Central Count. This position is critical to the validity of our elections. (These committees are described below.)

I filed to run for Republican Precinct Chair in my precinct, 1008. A few weeks later, so did someone else. That made it a contested race. Contested candidates cannot serve as the presiding judge of these committees. So, I had a choice: continue to serve as presiding judge or run for precinct chair.

I chose election integrity and serving as presiding judge.

Below is the letter I sent to Justin Bezner, Bastrop County GOP Chair. I have withdrawn my name from the ballot. As I said in my letter, there are many ways to serve the Republican Party. I’ll continue my involvement through the Lost Pines Republican Women, the Bastrop County GOP Club, and when called upon, through the BCRP.

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What’s the “Early Voting Ballot Board” and “Signature Verification Committee”? What’s “Central Count”?

These are two groups, made up of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, that are critical to ensuring election integrity.

Early Voting Ballot Board
An early voting ballot board (EVBB) shall be created in each election to process early voting results from the territory served by the early voting clerk. No matter what type of election an entity is having, they must have an early voting ballot board.

In Bastrop County, the EVBB also typically serves as the Signature Verification Committee, ensuring that a ballot signature matches the application. This is a critical function for election integrity.

Central Counting Station
A central counting station (“CCS”) is the place on election night where ballots are counted, vote totals are accumulated, precinct returns are completed and the unofficial elections results are generated.

Running for Precinct Chair

Ready to Serve Republicans in Precinct 1008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2025
Contact: Carol A. Spencer
RepublicanCarol@gmail.com

Carol A. SpencerRepublican Carol Spencer has filed for a place on the ballot in the March 2026 primary to serve as Precinct Chair in Bastrop County (TX) Precinct 1008. Spencer is currently president of the Bastrop County GOP Club. She served as a Bastrop County precinct chair from 2018 – 2022. She is a founder and past-president of the Lost Pines Republican Women. And in 2023, she was named a Texas Federation of Republican Women “Ten Outstanding”, representing the best of the best Texas Republican women.

Believing strongly in the necessity of communicating with the grassroots, Spencer started a newsletter for her precinct and later continued that communications via RepublicanCarol.org. She spearheaded a joint project, The Bastrop County Voters Guide, with the Republican Party. This guide is mailed head-of-household to all Republican households in Bastrop County. This guide contributed to Republican sweeps in each of the last two election cycles.

“Conservative values, Texas values, are the core of my political positions. I’ve brought those core values to everything I’ve done. I’ve worked hard for 35+ years for open government, smaller government, lower taxes, and operational efficiency”, Spencer stated. “My record is solid and with the votes of Republicans in Precinct 1008, I’ll continue those efforts on their behalf.”

Currently serving as Presiding Judge of the Early Voting Ballot Board (EVBB) and Central Count, Spencer is dedicated to ensuring election integrity in Bastrop County. She’s held this position for numerous elections, overseeing mail-in ballot and result count accuracy.

Spencer, a web designer by profession, created her RepublicanCarol.org blog. She designed and manages content for the websites of the Lost Pines Republican Women and the Bastrop County GOP Club. She previously authored the Bastrop County Republican Party website.

Spencer will appear on the ballots of those in Precinct 1008 in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary.

Carol Spencer can be reached via email at RepublicanCarol@gmail.com, on X (formerly Twitter) as @RepublicanCarol, on Gettr as ChazTX, on Facebook at FB.com/RepublicanCarol.



It’s baaaack… Gateway Zoning Returns

There was a long discussion on Nextdoor a while back about development in the City of Bastrop and this election. NO, some shouted. It isn’t about the Gateway development. That’s over. Some of that land is up for sale, they said, so it won’t come back.

Caution, I said. Rezoning is afoot and zoning goes with the land, not the owner. The last application was a request for a zone change. I warned the City was moving too fast with zone changes and the public really didn’t understand them. I also warned about the City Council appointing developer and ethically-challenged former City Council member Jimmy Crouch to Planning & Zoning. I warned about stacking that Commission with developer friendly, Council buddies.

Now this article, from Thursday night’s P&Z meeting, by the Independent Texans PAC.
NOTE: I’ve refrained from suggesting who you should vote for since I don’t live in the City and I continue to do so. The title on this post is that of Independent Texans PAC, not mine. Article reprinted with permission to reprint in full from Independent Texans PAC.

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One Hand Washes the Other

Follow the money. ALWAYS. With an upcoming local election, it’s important to understand how a candidate and ardent supporters interact. Enter John Kirkland and Mel Cooper onto the stage.

The Players

John Kirkland is a City of Bastrop Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem running for re-election. Mel Cooper is the chairman and treasurer for a Bastrop County political PAC: Bastrop County Conservatives. Cooper is also one of the directors of a Texas corporation: Festival de la Cultura, Inc. created 10/19/2023.

The Handwashing

Hand washingIn late 2023, Festival de la Cultura, Inc. requested a $25,000 taxpayer funded donation from the City of Bastrop. On October 24, 2023, just five days after the corporation was registered with the State of Texas and one day after the corporation applied (but was not yet approved) for IRS non-profit status, John Kirkland seconded a motion to give Cooper’s corporation $25,000 in taxpayer funded money. It was unanimously approved and check number 152230 was cut to Cooper’s corporation on October 27. (For more details on this transaction, read my blog post The Emperor Has No Clothes.) According to open and public records, neither Cooper or his corporation ever provided an accounting for the use of those $25,000 taxpayer dollars.

Quid Pro Quo

In 2024, Cooper sent out emails to his PAC members and supporters containing false information in support of Kirkland-driven initiatives.

A Cooper November 21, 2024 email stated, “Tonight, at 6:30 pm, the Bastrop City Manager, Sylvia Carrillo, will be under attack by a small but vocal political faction seeking her removal, led by Mayor Lyle Nelson and City Council member Cheryl Lee. This group has made allegations, which Sylvia will address and refute with clarity and conviction.”

How did Cooper know that she would “address and refute with clarity and conviction” some alleged attack? There was nothing on the agenda to that effect. There was no listing of any public presentation. There was (and is) no resolution attached to the public agenda.
11/21/2024 Executive Session Agenda item

How did Cooper know that Carrillo would request the discussion be in public session? That decision was only announced during the meeting itself.

Carrillo had a lengthy Powerpoint presentation ready to go for the meeting. It had to have been prepared in advance. For Cooper to have known that Carrillo would “address and refute [an attack] with clarity and conviction”, Cooper had to have been told in advance what Carrillo would do. Cooper had to have been told in advance that Carrillo would request this personnel matter be discussed in public…. because this item was on the agenda as a “Executive Session”, a session closed to the public.

Summary

BCC endorsement listCooper‘s LLC gets $25,000 of taxpayer money with Kirkland‘s second-on-the-motion and vote. A few months later, Cooper sends an email calling for Nelson’s resignation (yet he never sent such an email calling for Jimmy Crouch’s resignation). Cooper then sent the November email discussed above to his PAC members and supporters with false and inside information.

Now, Cooper and his PAC are now hawking Kirkland for Bastrop City Council. Of course they are.

In this case, it’s clear that one hand washed the other. But should the soap be $25,000 of your hard earned taxpayer money?

Thin Skinned

Politics is not for the faint-of-heart. Anyone who has run for office, or served in office, knows that. We’re all very opinionated and most of us, passionately so. Those who don’t agree with their representatives often come out with guns blazing (not literally, just verbally). It’s just the way it is. The elected official can engage in the gun-fire with nasty retorts, or step back and invite discussion. What the elected official cannot be is thin-skinned and defensive.

Sadly, our current House member, Stan Gerdes, has demonstrated that he is both thin-skinned and defensive. In 2022, he was asked at multiple GOP meetings whether he supported Dems as committee chairs in the Texas House. Notwithstanding Republicans being strongly in the majority, he supported Dem chairs (video at 6:13). Those of us who worked hard to get Republicans elected felt betrayed. And, we told him so.

In 2024, we’ve again said “No Dem Chairs” and once again, he is supporting a House Speaker who lost the Republican Caucus vote and who will appoint Dem chairs.

Republican committee chairs are critical to passing TexasGOP legislative priority bills. This is important enough that the TexasGOP sent a mailer to Bastrop County Republicans asking them to call Gerdes’ office and “tell him to oppose Dustin Burrows and support the Texas House GOP Caucus Nominee David Cook!”

Then, the Bastrop County GOP passed a resolution calling “on Representative Stan Gerdes to publicly commit to supporting the Texas House Republican Caucus nominee in accordance with the Caucus vote and with the Republican Party of Texas Platform”. Seems reasonable.

That resolution also explained that:

  • “A vote against the Texas House Republican Caucus nominee shall be considered a censurable act”; and
  • “subversive tactics such as denying a quorum or participating (sic) in absenteeism that causes a quorum to come into question […] shall be considered a censurable act”; and
  • “a vote for a House Speaker secret floor ballot vote, will be interpreted as an attempt to hide a vote with Democrats who want Democrat Chairs […] and shall be considered a censurable act”; and
  • “a vote […] for any other candidate who has not pledged publicly, prior to the floor vote, to comply with the Legislative Priorities of “No Democrat Chairs” shall constitute a censurable act.”

Stan Gerdes was not censured. The elected Republican precinct chairs simply expressed their opinions and what they expected from their Republican House member.

Precinct chairs are elected to be the voice of the Republican Party. Gerdes was elected to represent House District 17. These are very different constituencies.

Gerdes can stick to his position supporting Democrat chairs and do what he believes is in the best interest of his constituents. But, as with every decision an elected official makes, there are consequences to those decisions. And, the Bastrop County Republican Party has made clear what those consequences will be. Seems reasonable.

Rather than throw verbal bombs on Facebook at Republican Party leadership, a mature, seasoned elected official would either invite precinct chairs to a meeting or personally call each one, building bridges. He would not whine because he wasn’t invited to the meeting where the resolution was passed. He would not call candidates who ran against him three years ago “vengeful”. He wouldn’t worry about a candidate that spent under $20,000 in a campaign cycle when he, himself, spent over half a million. He would not call the Republican Chair a liar. He would not send threatening texts. He would not make unfounded accusations and name-call publicly on social media.

I sure as heck hope this isn’t the way he treats his fellow legislators when they disagree with him. And, if, as I hear repeatedly, Stan Gerdes wants to run for Congress or some other higher office, he needs to get thicker skin. He needs to immediately start building bridges not burning them down.