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Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need.

Policing Voter Fraud

What to Know: New voter fraud allegations have cropped up in South Texas.

The TPPF Take: Guarding against voter fraud protects legitimate ballots.

“Election fraud is nothing new in South Texas, but many continue to claim it’s a myth,” says TPPF’s Rafael Bejar. “Yet in that claim, there’s always a caveat. Election fraud, if it exists, isn’t ‘widespread,’ they contend. But fraudulent ballots do exist, and they need not exist in big numbers to affect the outcomes of elections.”

Reforming Bail Reform

What to Know: Bail reform—done badly—can lead to the release of dangerous criminals.

The TPPF Take: It’s time to fix Texas’ pretrial release system, but it must be done with public safety in mind.

“In terms of public safety, financial-based systems such as Texas’ often suffer from the problem of misclassification,” says TPPF’s Michael Haugen. “Instead, we must allow judges and magistrates statewide to gain a more holistic picture of each defendant’s relevant criminal history with a validated risk-assessment tool to supplement their release decisions.”

Water Wars

What to Know: There’s a rate dispute dividing North Texas cities—over water.

The TPPF Take: An outdated contract means that some Texas cities are paying for water they aren’t using.

“With water rates increasing at 5 to 10% per year, residents are frustrated with exorbitant water bills and want to rewrite the contract so that they only pay for water actually used,” writes TPPF’s Shelby Sterling. “However, amending the contract’s terms requires consent from all 13 member cities. This needs scrutiny, constant oversight, and a lot more transparency in order to provide North Texans with reasonable water rates and the services they need.”