Today is National Voter Registration Day. What a perfect occasion to view the Harris County Attorney’s Office recorded program, Voter Registration CLE and Voter Registration Training, which was presented on August 31, 2018 at the HCAO Conference Center. Texas attorneys can earn 1.0 hour of CLE credit and .25 hour of ethics credit for viewing the video.
Texas Newsrooms Pool Resources to Acquire Voter Registration Data
In a Twitter post on Wednesday evening, Houston Chronicle data editor Matt Dempsey announced the acquisition of Texas voter registration data, which was purchased collaboratively by 20 newsrooms across Texas. Calling themselves the Texas Open Data Consortium, these news outlets will use the newly acquired information to report on voter demographics, the upcoming midterm elections, the geographic concentration (by ZIP code and/or county) of newly registered voters, the number and common characteristics of voters removed from the rolls, and much more. As a data analyst, Matt Dempsey was justifiably excited about the acquisition of this database, as were those who champion open data and free access to information. “This is a fantastic thing for open data, for journalism in Texas, for better and more in-depth stories on our electorate across the state,” Mr. Dempsey tweeted.
On Twitter, news of this collaborative effort was mostly well-received, but two questions emerged again and again: (1) Why isn’t this data already publicly available? and (2) How much did the database cost? Mr. Dempsey answered repeatedly that the Texas Voter Registration Database is not subject to a Public Information Act request and can only be obtained from the Texas Secretary of State as governed by Chapter 18 of the Texas Texas Election Code. Indeed, the law states specifically how copies of the dataset must be furnished upon request (§18.008) and what fees the registrar may charge for fulfilling such requests (§18.010). Each of the 20 news outlets who participated in the purchase contributed $180 for a total cost of roughly $3,600, according to Mr. Dempsey’s Twitter responses. (To purchase your very own Texas Voter Registration Database, click here.)
Each of the newsrooms provided a signed affidavit stating that the data would not be used for commercial purposes. All participants also agreed not to publish the data online, citing “a lot of concern among the public about this data set” and the need to exercise caution by protecting voters’ privacy. The Election Code (§18.009) clearly prohibits using the information “in connection with advertising or promoting commercial products or services.” The data will be used for news gathering only. Twitter responders from other states (Pennsylvania, New York, Washington) were incredulous that Texas exacts such a steep price for furnishing voter data, and others expressed their suspicions about how this data will actually be used, but for those who advocate for open data initiatives and responsible journalism, this is one for the win column.
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Legal Tech Institute Vendor Visit - Lexis Advance - FREE CLE
Register today for a Legal Tech Institute Vendor Visit on Wednesday, September 26, 2018. Program will cover legal research techniques using Lexis Advance, a powerful legal research platform available for free at the Harris County Law Library. This Vendor Visit will carry 1.0 hour of CLE credit for Texas attorneys. The session is conveniently scheduled during the lunch hour, from noon to 1 p.m.
All of the databases covered during training sessions are accessible for free on the Law Library’s legal research computers, which are open to the public. Visit Our Services page for more information about the digital resources available for your legal research needs.
For additional details about other upcoming LTI programs and events, please visit us online at www.harriscountylawlibrary.org/tech
Constitution Day - September 17, 1787
Constitution Day is observed each year on September 17 to commemorate the signing of our Constitution in 1787. On display in the Law Library lobby throughout the month of September is an exhibit featuring foundational documents that shaped the Constitution, including the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, along with examples of broadsides that were crucial to the states’ decisions to ratify our founding document.