Transcript
Kate Rumsey: Welcome back to Mission, Texas. We are less than a week away from the election day as of this recording. And if you're like me, you are wondering, how will Republicans try to steal?
Kate Rumsey: The election, if they lose. And how are we protecting our vote, especially here in the state of Texas? both during the election and more importantly, after and year round. So I've asked my friend, the newly minted voter protection director for the Texas Democratic Party as of August.
Kate Rumsey: To join us. Welcome back to the podcast. You've been here before, Liza Hamline.
Liza Hameline: Thank you so much, Kate. Thank you so much, Mission Texas family. Yes, you might remember me fresh off. my state Democratic Party executive. win right after the convention.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah, in the summer.
Liza Hameline: Yep.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah. And you were on with Chris Ervin, who's on the Hispanic Caucus co -chair.
Liza Hameline: Right? That's right
Liza Hameline: Yep. Who is Also... working. Right now. For, right, Texas Democrats, as one of our field organizer. Leeds and Tarrant County.
Kate Rumsey: Wow
Liza Hameline: So... Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: Multiple hats.
Liza Hameline: This is how. Yes, this is how we do it.
Kate Rumsey: Multiple hats.
Liza Hameline: texans who understand. How? to talk to voters in Texas. and Texans who understand how to protect the vote in Texas.
Liza Hameline: And that really is the vision that Kendall Scudder, our newly elected chair, has always had.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: which is 254 counties, 365 days a year. and utilizing the organizers on the ground. Who?
Kate Rumsey: wow
Liza Hameline: i are doing this work. to be elevated. to places of leadership within the party. and so I like to say, right, i well, yes, I am a lawyer.
Liza Hameline: This is not down not Pop. Down voter protection. This is ground. up. motor protection.
Kate Rumsey: Mom.
Liza Hameline: which means that we are protecting it from inside the poles.
Kate Rumsey: Okay. Well, I want to get into butt that, Lisa, but before we get into all the nitty gritty. I want to learn, well, we heard more about you in our last episode with you and Chris and your background in politics and how you kind of came up in.
Kate Rumsey: as most of us, we're angry and you're a mom and just thinking like enough's enough. But I also know, as you mentioned, you're a lawyer, as as am I, as Alice. is Alex, who unfortunately he said he had jury duty recently. Speaking of.
Kate Rumsey: And so it's just us ladies today, but. How did... What is your legal background? Because it seems to me a lot of the voter protection. training that I've had.
Kate Rumsey: has a lot to do with the law. But as you're saying, it's more organizers. So How does your background in the legal profession? lead you up until this role? And how'd you get it?
Liza Hameline: So, right. I mean, I've been a lawyer for a long, long time. right and i've been a mom for a long long time I started out. you know, my career in Texas, taking the Texas bar.
Liza Hameline: you know, did commercial litigation, right? Got to know, kind of got into politics through that because our judges are elected, right? And so, you know, when I was a pretty, I wouldn't say baby lawyer, but, in you know, mid.
Liza Hameline: mid -year lawyer, right? in. 2006 when Dallas County flipped. All of a sudden, our judges were Democrats and nobody knew who they were. But I did because I was knocking on doors with Julie Johnson and Lupe Valdez and King Pfeiffer and Emily Tobolowsky and right all of those judges that we had.
Liza Hameline: that when, you know, Texas flipped or when Dallas County flipped. and then you know right i went in -house uh i went in -house during the 2008 financial crisis and started getting into regulatory work.
Kate Rumsey: wow
Liza Hameline: So... when The world is upside down and bonkers. Right, which is what the 2008 financial crisis was if you're working for a financial company And so you're getting. thrown at you, new laws, new regulations, investigations, right? New processes have to set up, right? And as a lawyer, you all of a sudden go from right handling.
Liza Hameline: just the defensive cases to all of a sudden you are now standing up. nationwide. programs. of right where you have flow litigation setting up processes procedures right then going through reductions in force in the corporate world.
Kate Rumsey: h
Liza Hameline: And so what does that look like next?
Kate Rumsey: yeah
Liza Hameline: Right.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: And... So I do some community work, right? Go back in house. Now I'm doing health care regulatory work. Oh, we're having a healthcare crisis because it's COVID.
Liza Hameline: Okay. right? Then all of that work. Then I go in house with it Giant tech company. where I have to take.
Liza Hameline: Big, complicated. catered EU regulations and make them appear on the return screen on an app.
Liza Hameline: So how do you explain something that is super complicated? In. one phrase. So that. a mass population can understand it with varying levels of education success.
Liza Hameline: And how do you... do all of that. and then just getting fed up. Getting fed up with the corporate world getting fed up with working so hard, getting fed up with not being able to spend time with my family.
Kate Rumsey: yeah
Liza Hameline: just being burnt out and exhausted. but During that time, Right. My.
Kate Rumsey: hu
Liza Hameline: It was COVID and we were in a crisis in Texas. and we needed election judges and so one of those calls went out to lawyers right to do voter protection and they said sign up to be a poll watcher So I went to do the pole watcher training at Dallas County. And I thought, oh, my God.
Liza Hameline: This sounds like the most boring thing I could possibly do. It just said. and like. Watch people. do this. And somebody said, you know, Lisa, I think you'd be really good.
Liza Hameline: being an election judge. And I was like, oh okay, cool. That sounds fun. Right? And so they appointed me. to one of the busiest polling sites in Dallas County. And we had a team of I don't know 25.
Liza Hameline: election workers. That was when, in COVID, we had extended hours. So we had three weeks. of early voting. We had two full weekends and it was seven to seven the whole time. It was the most intensive Crazy.
Liza Hameline: On the ground. fast -paced it was like what I can only imagine an yeah ER is like for a doctor.
Kate Rumsey: yeah
Liza Hameline: But for me... It was like. being in that as a lawyer.
Kate Rumsey: yeah
Liza Hameline: And I was hooked. And I. Loved it. In only the way.
Kate Rumsey: hush I love it when lawyers actually like what they're doing and they like the law. It's so good. More on that later, Lisa.
Liza Hameline: Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: Okay, but so you're an election judge and... I imagine you're also having fed up with the 2016 election and seeing all the QAnon.
Liza Hameline: Mm -hmm
Kate Rumsey: and Just I remember for myself, just heading into 2020. all the misinformation and wanting more integrity you've got stop the steal So, okay.
Kate Rumsey: So then catch us up. 2020 happens. You're an election judge.
Liza Hameline: 2020. i' an election judge. So now I understand what the process is. right to act what are all the things that go in line so we're seeing all these laws and then how does right how does that play in.
Liza Hameline: And... I, you know, so I do that, right? but we also at you know during 2020 had stood up a massive Mommy lawyer call.
Liza Hameline: right because kamala harris was on the ballot because her her sister is a lawyer so i had a vast network as i know you do too of right we're this little crew of mommy lawyers right who all kind of grew up you know and like when i had my kids i didn't have maternity leave right at my law firm.
Kate Rumsey: Ugh. Horrible, yeah
Liza Hameline: You know, I mean, right. These things that I think nowadays. you know, I see a lot of younger women lawyers, right? can advocate for so themselves.
Kate Rumsey: Mm hmm.
Liza Hameline: When I... started, right we didn't have any of those things. And... you still had to work the crazy hours. And when you have a husband who's also working as a lawyer and was working the crazy hours and, you know, I mean.
Liza Hameline: anyway So there's a lot of us. It's not just me. and so right it was 2020 and it was COVID and so we stood up a giant
Kate Rumsey: Yes.
Liza Hameline: nationwide call and raised it. ton of money for Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. And we signed up a whole bunch of lawyers for voter protection. And then we did that again. in 2024.
Liza Hameline: and signed up. massive amounts of lawyers for voter protection. and we expanded it to be a women lawyers, right? when all those calls were happening for Kamala Harris, right? her AKAs and the D9 and, you know, the veterans. And it so we set up one as women lawyers.
Liza Hameline: And so, right, that's kind of like the... legal side, right, recruiting folks for voter protection. And so, you know, right, I just sort of done all of that. But then, you know as I talked about before, it was being a national delegate in 2024 that really got my. party you know, being excited about the Democratic Party, which is different, right? So when I was on before, when Chris Servine and I had just won our races, that's really, that's a different.
Liza Hameline: part right that is right these this desire to make my our state a better place right from the ground up by recruiting more precinct chairs recruiting county chairs that sort of thing
Kate Rumsey: ha
Liza Hameline: So. kind of what happened. Right when we had that call, I had just. left after our race to Oregon to finally like what I thought was.
Kate Rumsey: We had a little break. Yeah.
Liza Hameline: I had a little break because it has been nonstop since 2024, right? Which doing all the non -law stuff, right?
Kate Rumsey: right
Liza Hameline: Recruiting precinct chairs, knocking on doors, working with candidates, right? You know, do it right? Winning city council races, all of those things. right very non -lawyery And so I went to Oregon, spending some time with my family.
Liza Hameline: And I had known that right before going into the convention that the former voter protection director for the party had. just left. and again Like, I kind of love this work.
Liza Hameline: i do this work and so i've been sort of thinking about it but you know everything was happening
Kate Rumsey: yeah
Liza Hameline: Fast. and you know whatever And Kendall called me and said, I don't know what this is going to look like. I don't know how we're going to do it. But. I want you to.
Liza Hameline: lead the largest voter protection program we've ever stood up in the state.
Kate Rumsey: wow
Liza Hameline: And I said, okay.
Liza Hameline: All right.
Kate Rumsey: And you got a few months to do it. Go.
Liza Hameline: Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: Uh...
Liza Hameline: Yeah. And so at that point, right, it took a little while, right, because this is politics. And so I ended up not driving back from Oregon, flew to DC or flew to Austin when the DNC was meeting, got to meet with Chairman Martin, got to meet with the. dc The DNC voter protection director got to see meet all of these incredible Incredible shares, right, from other states like South Carolina and Nevada. and
Liza Hameline: All of these red states working so hard. Hard.
Kate Rumsey: I think it's so great that they were in Austin. That's such a... tangent, I would love to go down with you, but I want to you to keep going.
Liza Hameline: Yeah, yeah
Kate Rumsey: so
Liza Hameline: And so it has been. Go, go, go, Sun Sun. So I literally went down there, was not even on the payroll. Right. I got back. On Sunday night, on Monday, we had a Dallas County CEC meeting.
Liza Hameline: i stood up and said we're going to recruit the largest voter protection team we've the state has ever seen it starts right here in Dallas County. And I just started recruiting. Right. We just started getting a sign up.
Liza Hameline: and I was on statewide calls and Why? Because I know these people. Right?
Kate Rumsey: yeah Well, CEC is the precinct chair. uh meeting right so it's usually the highly active people who also.
Liza Hameline: Made it. Right. Highly active
Kate Rumsey: The volunteer, they're like the super volunteer.
Liza Hameline: Right.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: Yeah, so they are the super volunteers.
Kate Rumsey: Oh.
Liza Hameline: And so because I'm a precinct chair in Dallas County, right i I knew I was at that meeting. right i just asked our our county chair cardell coleman Can I speak on voter protection? He said, great.
Liza Hameline: I got up there and. Right? and just threw the sign up and we started recruiting. And people got really excited. And then it was identifying all the different groups that we have in the state. So our county chairs that we've been recruiting. our caucus Uh...
Liza Hameline: groups, so as we discussed when i was on before chris servine is one of is this statutory member. of the Hispanic caucus. and so we started presenting to all our different caucuses and the first one was our rural caucus And that was really important.
Liza Hameline: because protecting the vote in rural Texas.
Kate Rumsey: Mm hmm.
Liza Hameline: rural red Texas is actually where Republicans have been in charge for 30 years and have gotten away. With. All kinds of shenanigans and nobody's known about it.
Liza Hameline: because there hasn't been a Democratic chair or there is a Democratic chair and they didn't know how to advocate for election judges that are Democrats or election clerks that are Democrats.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: and so this is kind of the stuff that I started figuring out that right everything didn't work the way it worked in dallas county Right. so we just started recruiting and then you know right as the coordinated campaign really ramped up Right? The coordinated campaign was able to hire an entire staff of a hotline operator and boiler room people and regional directors and so we've had a really big team.
Liza Hameline: And so now that voting has started and we've recruited over 3 ,000 people all across the state. who are Mm -hmm.
Kate Rumsey: Wow, 3 ,000. Okay.
Liza Hameline: Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: Wow.
Liza Hameline: Yeah, so when Donald Trump talks about that he's got a thousand... People he's going to send. And everybody gets all scared. Think about that. He's got a thousand people to send all over the country.
Liza Hameline: and we've already recruited 3 000 people in our state alone.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah. Take that.
Liza Hameline: Mm -hmm
Kate Rumsey: Okay. Love that. what are they doing i mean so what breakdown i know you said it was a bottom up and i I love the analogies to the military, and I think it's a lot like a command structure.
Liza Hameline: Mm hmm. huh Yes.
Kate Rumsey: You've got the chair of the party. You've got... the SDC, then you have the county chairs. You obviously are working with the party at the top, but then you have the precinct chairs at the bottom. And it sounds like you really started at the, not the bottom that makes them sound like less important, but.
Kate Rumsey: They're incredibly important. And it's just from the structure point of view, the. bottom of that structure and so and then you also have the volunteers so What are those roles at like the bottom compared to what you're doing to spread everything out in 254 counties?
Liza Hameline: Yeah, yeah. So the big thing that I noticed right at the beginning, so The first day I started, they said, okay, you got to get them your hotline set up. And I was like, hotline? Right? What's that?
Kate Rumsey: Yeah, how does one do that?
Liza Hameline: how's one do that turns out our hotline Right? I don't know what happened, but it wasn't even like. You called it and said the number was disconnected.
Kate Rumsey: Wow. Okay.
Liza Hameline: Okay.
Kate Rumsey: Start from scratch.
Liza Hameline: All right, you know.
Kate Rumsey: Step zero. Yeah.
Liza Hameline: Right? but infrastructure. Nobody's fault. Right. But we've had a lot of change. Right. And so that was when it right.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: A lot of change. I mean, it really hadn't been for that long. It was just right. A credit card had expired and just hadn't. You know, when you have a lot of. you know Moving parts, right right?
Kate Rumsey: Moving parts, new chair, new employee.
Liza Hameline: New chair, new...
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: new staff do everything So we figured out how to get that on. And I started learning about it. And that was one thing. that i just said okay we're going to start sharing this number and so we got some graphics made real quick that i could just start sharing the number because i don't know if i pulled this story before but during the primary uh just this past march i was an election judge at one of the biggest polling sites and right
Kate Rumsey: Talk about shenanigans.
Liza Hameline: as Let's talk about shenanigans in Dallas County.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah Mm hmm.
Liza Hameline: Our primary was insane
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: And it was crazy. And when. People do not feel heard. When people do not feel supported, when people do not feel like they can effectively do their job because of barriers in front of them, and for us. At my polling site, that was machines that were breaking, that was extra long lines, that was having the same amount of equipment as the Republicans and yet having
Liza Hameline: three times the number of voters. My staff was exhausted and nobody was listening to me. And I didn't know who to call. So I called the press.
Liza Hameline: And so I know. from the ground up. I do not want our election judges calling the press.
Liza Hameline: And...
Kate Rumsey: Don't do that. Yeah.
Liza Hameline: Don't do that. And so that is what that bottom up strategy was. We needed to make sure that every single precinct chair. right in all 254 counties understood that there is a texas voter protection hotline And when things go wrong, that's who you call.
Liza Hameline: Right.
Liza Hameline: And then you let. the party leaders talk to the press. And... I'm not saying right this hasn't been perfect. But what I know, because I've worked the polls and I've been a precinct chair, that I didn't know where to go. And so I wanted to make sure that they knew. where to go. And so we have had. that voter protection hotline stood up since August where volunteers are answering the hotline.
Liza Hameline: are answering 844 TX votes. 844 TX votes. That is the Democratic Party. hotline. Now, there are some other hotlines out there. Common Cause has one. League of Women Voters has one. The one that the Democratic Party.
Liza Hameline: sees and what we want to make sure our democratic election judges our democratic election poll watchers our clerks our precinct chairs our volunteers are calling into the democratic party so that we understand what happening on the ground in all 254 counties because how do you figure that out from a big higher level Right in to an estate.
Kate Rumsey: hu
Liza Hameline: I mean, you know I hear about voter protection teams in Maine or Kansas. or Do you know that? DFW has more voters than either of those states combined.
Kate Rumsey: Insane. I mean, i I've always known that we had more Democratic voters statewide than like New York. And that's a lot of voters. that you think in a red state but yeah okay continue so you've stood up the hotline you got people manning it I took the training so I know what that training looks like
Liza Hameline: yeah Yeah. Line.
Liza Hameline: Mm hmm.
Kate Rumsey: And kudos to your trainers. So. What does that entail then? from a voter protection standpoint. And is there anything else going on besides the hotline?
Liza Hameline: sure So it's... it right So the hotline is kind of number one. And then it's number two, right? You need people inside the polls. So I talked about how in 2020, I took that training to be a poll watcher.
Liza Hameline: If you want a real plug and play easy job. Be a poll watcher. It's not hard. Like people say, oh my God, I have to know all these rules. Nope. Some easy training. and you go sit in a nice air -conditioned polling site.
Liza Hameline: And you just watch. Right. And you observe. And we've had some. poll watchers that have identified some really like important things all over the state. and so that's right one component and we're still you know still having those trainings. there's I think there's another training today. We'll be doing those trainings. it's you know,
Kate Rumsey: Which you can find on Mobilize, right? Is that?
Liza Hameline: Yep, yep, yep, yep, on Mobilize, and I'll make sure you have all of those links so you can, although by the time this airs, we're going to be pretty close.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah. mm -hmm
Liza Hameline: It's going to be pretty close to the end.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah, we're getting close. Yeah.
Liza Hameline: But again, as we are building, just so that.
Kate Rumsey: for next year
Liza Hameline: Right? for for next year for every election.
Kate Rumsey: For every election, yep.
Liza Hameline: Yep yep. So that's part of it. So the poll watchers.
Kate Rumsey: And is there...
Liza Hameline: yeah go ahead
Kate Rumsey: man So I'm so sorry, but there is a, i when I was being trained, there's like a database that one uses when you're volunteering and either doing the poll watch or you're on the hotline. and i And there's like shifts that you do to if a call comes in and then you're sort of set up with this program.
Liza Hameline: Mm hmm.
Kate Rumsey: and as i understood it is that being hosted by the national party and i And does that allow you to kind of like van to collect data as far as what's going on?
Liza Hameline: Yes.
Kate Rumsey: Okay, tell us more about that.
Liza Hameline: Right, right Yeah. So they're right. Republicans and Democrats have these things, you know, right. Or if you are common cause or some of these other. Right. But it's basically just a tool that collects data.
Liza Hameline: So you can write, you can, you just sort of write up. It's sort of like, you know, if you're just working the customer service, right, you're logging the call.
Kate Rumsey: Mm hmm.
Liza Hameline: So, you know, what county? who observed it so a lot of the who what when where why but and this is this becomes very important when we start seeing things on social media and people are starting to talk about oh long lines here or this issue with a machine here and it starts getting a little vague Social media has the ability to. kind of spin out of control.
Liza Hameline: and is not always based in fact. and in fact is probably a lot of russian bots And so...
Kate Rumsey: Well, maybe not anymore with that Ukraine.
Liza Hameline: Yeah. Yeah, maybe not.
Kate Rumsey: drone strike or whatever strike it was. So.
Liza Hameline: Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: Kudos to them, but sorry.
Liza Hameline: Yeah. Yeah. So it's really important to have. actual information. And so for anybody who's listening, who if you hear right people are, oh, my cousin saw this and this and this.
Liza Hameline: As any good lawyer. and this is why lawyers make good poll watchers you need to have the who what when. Right. So who... right who was the voter can you get some information on them Where did it happen? What county? What polling site? If it was a machine breaking down, which machine? Right. And was.
Liza Hameline: process followed did you let the election judge know was the county elections office called so that's what that system is and then we can kind of see from a systematic perspective and then this is some of the work that I've done.
Liza Hameline: Because what I know in all of the you know regulatory process work that I've done, when I see an issue come up three times, it's time for an actual process. It may be a process. It may be a graph. it may be you know, a graphic And so we've been able to do some one pagers. And so I have a whole voter resource sheet that frankly.
Liza Hameline: I mean, it's pretty actually nonpartisan. Obviously, it says Democrat all over it, but It's mostly like. it'll have a question about you know what equipment is used at XYZ polling site.
Liza Hameline: Well, the Secretary of State publishes that information for all 254 counties. Here's the link. right but it's instead of having to everybody go and find it.
Liza Hameline: We have a resource that has it broken down. Or if we started seeing a certain issue, so there's some kind of stuff that comes up every election to
Liza Hameline: undermine, let's say, the integrity of the election. and it's Some of it, like everything, is based in a little bit of fact. Right.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: but Again. overblown and so right we've created graphics one pagers things like that And that's what it means, right? You need to get that. that information in the hands of the county chairs, the precinct chairs, the organizers, the election judges.
Liza Hameline: Because. those are the people who, right, are talking to the voters on the ground. So that.
Kate Rumsey: yeah
Liza Hameline: Right. So that's one thing.
Kate Rumsey: So it sounds like your job, you said that you stood up a lot of these regulatory processes. You stood up things during COVID. You stood up things in the financial crisis that prepared you in this moment to just sort of. start things from scratch and do it a new.
Kate Rumsey: I'm interested though, to hear. As you're hearing, getting data from the hotline, which I assume are voters calling in. and also election judges or poll watchers.
Liza Hameline: huh
Kate Rumsey: Are there... common issues that you're seeing that arise. And I understand that a lot of people are seeing like they're on the suspense list and how do they get out of it?
Liza Hameline: who
Kate Rumsey: But. And I'm curious. Maybe this is a two -part question. What are you seeing now? Are there things that are arising more often than not? And then how does that compare to your experience previously?
Liza Hameline: Sure. So since I started on this job mid -August, I would say every week has had sort of a different flavor. right like different i won't say issue of the week because it's all sort of put in together. but obviously very early on we were dealing with the suspense list and because i knew that being
Liza Hameline: I knew that that was going to be an issue because it's always an issue. And the the more that we got out ahead of it. right, the better it would be solved. So we set up like a whole statewide phone bank to call.
Liza Hameline: the suspense list right we really push the county tourists to deal with the suspense list now why
Kate Rumsey: so you're just calling each person. You're like, you are on the suspense list.
Liza Hameline: Yep. yep yep you are on this but let's update your information right all before this registration deadline because This is the other thing.
Kate Rumsey: Go fix it.
Liza Hameline: And being a lawyer, right, you understand this. The election calendar is all It's like a scheduling order. right in a lawsuit right It's all by deadlines.
Kate Rumsey: Mm hmm.
Liza Hameline: And so I knew we had that October 5th deadline coming up for registration. That's also the deadline for updating your information. And so one of the things that we did, which was very strategic and very different.
Liza Hameline: this time. was talk about not only voter registration. but checking and updating. your voter registration. So that people to get people in the habit of checking. And then the news hit and there was a lot of information on it. And I will just go. yeah Right. And we all know, sort of understand that, like the secretary of state has.
Liza Hameline: I will just say Kendall Scudder has has said that the Texas Democratic Party will just step in and do the job of government if Greg Abbott won't do his job. and that's exactly what's happening the secretary of state is kind of not doing their job
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: Well, do they, they don't really have. They don't want, it seems like, the results of this election. They don't want to be held accountable to the voter. which is very important But I digress.
Liza Hameline: Mm -hmm Yeah. Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: And.
Liza Hameline: yeah
Kate Rumsey: episode for another time.
Liza Hameline: Yes, yes. so so Everything has been kind of like that that, right? And then mail ballots came out. So we made a checklist for what, you know, once you got your mail ballot. they're right so there are lots of questions about that and then you know once the registration is voter registration deadline was up now what do you do if you're on the suspense list so there's questions that come up about that one thing that we that we've really emphasized this year is limited ballots.
Liza Hameline: So limited ballots mean if you are. a The main reason that voters. show up on the suspense list is because voter registration cards and Three.
Liza Hameline: Duty summons. of where Alex is.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah. Speaking of Alex. Yeah.
Liza Hameline: Speaking of Alex, our non... affordable. That means that when you move, That gets returned to the sender. And if it comes back to the election your voter registration card comes back to the election office as undeliverable, your voter registration is put in suspense.
Liza Hameline: And that's different from other states where the voter is suspended. Nope. it just means your registration is is in suspense in that county because The county doesn't know where you currently live.
Liza Hameline: Right. And it's. very Right. You're. Being able to vote. you your voter registration is tied to kind of where your domicile is. And they are right. If you are unhoused, there there are rules and ways to.
Liza Hameline: get around that. But essentially, right, you can only vote where you live. What I like to say to voters, especially when We're on these. county lines where people get a little confused, is where did you wake up?
Liza Hameline: What county did you wake up? You can only vote in the county where you live now. Not. where you lived in 2020 the last time you voted. and so That. it When you have a... election where people are very excited, which is normally presidential elections.
Liza Hameline: And I knew from the primary we were going to have a presidential electorate because that's who showed up in the primary.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah. very Yeah, we've had some great turnout.
Liza Hameline: Yeah, yeah, I mean, right.
Kate Rumsey: I mean, it's amazing. Yeah.
Liza Hameline: just Big shout out to Dallas County. We are beating.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: 2020 presidential turnout numbers.
Kate Rumsey: I know.
Liza Hameline: I mean, we're like the We are like.
Kate Rumsey: How exciting.
Liza Hameline: the best in the state right now.
Kate Rumsey: Yes.
Liza Hameline: Thank you, Dallas Dems.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah. Shout out to you.
Liza Hameline: Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: Cardall and Yasmin.
Liza Hameline: And Yasmin are.
Kate Rumsey: Keep doing it.
Liza Hameline: Yep, keep doing it. So, right, but. So the limited ballot. means that if you didn't update your registration, you can vote what's called a limited ballot, meaning which means... all the races that were in common between where you used to live and where you live now.
Liza Hameline: And you can only do that. during early voting. which will be We are in early voting until October So. And then you have to do it at the election office.
Liza Hameline: But it means that you can vote on all the races that are the same between those counties and right the republicans gerrymandered us so much you might be able to get to vote for everything until the county level.
Liza Hameline: Right. So your house district.
Kate Rumsey: Right. Statewide, congressional.
Liza Hameline: statewide house congressional house school board, all kinds of stuff.
Kate Rumsey: Oh, yeah.
Liza Hameline: Right?
Kate Rumsey: And all the judges on the Supreme Court, Criminal Court of Appeals.
Liza Hameline: Yep. Yeah, lots.
Kate Rumsey: I mean, shout out to those ladies that we had on our podcast.
Liza Hameline: so Peace out. Yeah, oh
Liza Hameline: Holly Taylor, 254 counties.
Kate Rumsey: Yes!
Liza Hameline: Thank you very much.
Kate Rumsey: Wow. I know. Shout out to her running for the criminal court of appeals, which is the highest criminal court, kind of like the Texas Supreme court.
Liza Hameline: Yeah. I... Which is like the Supreme Court. So, right, we hear.
Kate Rumsey: Mm hmm.
Liza Hameline: Right in. Wisconsin or in Minnesota that I'm talking about these big Supreme Court races. We have them too.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah, nobody.
Liza Hameline: Right.
Kate Rumsey: Well, they keep getting appointed, apparently, by Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton, and then they just run.
Liza Hameline: and and Yeah. Apparently. Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: Anyways.
Liza Hameline: And then they just.
Kate Rumsey: anyways
Liza Hameline: Yes.
Kate Rumsey: Ugh. Yeah.
Liza Hameline: But kudos to Holly Taylor. So every single person should want to vote just so you can vote for her.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: She has been everywhere.
Kate Rumsey: Yes.
Liza Hameline: Anyway, so that's
Kate Rumsey: I'm going to send her that up this episode so she gets the shout out. Uh... But I mean, so it seems like this is OK, now we're in early vote.
Liza Hameline: who
Kate Rumsey: I assume there you're hearing maybe things at the polls or.
Liza Hameline: Yes.
Kate Rumsey: And is there any issues to be aware of?
Liza Hameline: So there are are, right, there are some issues, you know, with you know people get concerns about marks on their ballot. Well, in Texas, I don't know what they do in other states, but in Texas, every election judge has to sign the back of the ballot.
Liza Hameline: And on election day, the election judge has to sign their full name. And during early voting, it has to be the election clerk's. initials because in every single county for early voting it's county -wide voting and then on election day some counties are county -wide like Dallas. Taryn and Colin.
Liza Hameline: Dutton County is going to be precinct based. right there are some and so go to mytexasvotes .com if you want to figure out whether your county is precinct based or all county voting for election day.
Liza Hameline: like because that's a very important difference.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah, well, that's the issue that I understand happened in the primary in Dallas and Williamson County.
Liza Hameline: Mm -hmm
Kate Rumsey: But sometimes I get. a lot of fear talk from my friends and they say they see all the things you know like they they're
Liza Hameline: huh
Kate Rumsey: All the things that the president is saying, they're fearful that about. They're both not counting. They got stuff about. people being intimidated. Maybe ICE is going to show up. But I try to remind folks that or the military.
Kate Rumsey: I think that was one that I got recently.
Liza Hameline: Mm -hmm.
Kate Rumsey: I try to remind folks that this is we have a county. election clerk. in every county and they're the ones administering it. And our voting system is by constitution decentralized. So no matter what the president's trying to do to federalize or nationalize voting by constitution, it can't be.
Kate Rumsey: And so.
Liza Hameline: That's right.
Kate Rumsey: Bye. Is there some way to assuage some of our fears about... Voting because I as I As I'm imagining. If. The president and the Republican Party can instill fear.
Kate Rumsey: People don't go to the polls and so they don't want to show up because they don't know if their vote is going to count. But we should be ringing the alarm bells of saying, look, no, we're doing everything in our power to make sure it does.
Liza Hameline: who
Kate Rumsey: And it's actually. not controlled by Abbott or the federal government.
Liza Hameline: that's right that's right so all 254 counties is either the the vote is controlled essentially by the election. commission or the commissioner's court. So that's like our city council for our counties and either the county clerk or the county tax assessor by statute. or that the county has hired what's called an elections administrator.
Liza Hameline: And so, for example, in Dallas County, we have an elections administrator in Tarrant County. They have an elections administrator in Harris County. Voting is controlled by the county clerk and the county tax assessor.
Liza Hameline: different counties. it different things are happening. Again, because this is hyper. local. So not even the same person controls voting. in all 254 counties. That's how localized.
Liza Hameline: voting is. We also have in all 254 counties paper mallets.
Liza Hameline: Every single county has paper. ballots. There is no electronic voting in this state.
Kate Rumsey: Oh, so you're saying like I get the card, like at least for you know our listeners and if we have any out -of -state listeners, we we show up, we show them our ID, which is a whole other problem.
Liza Hameline: Mm -hmm.
Kate Rumsey: And then.
Liza Hameline: problem.
Kate Rumsey: We'll talk about that another day. And then they so send hand you a slip, like they print it out there. and then you feed it through a machine. and it prints it. And so you're saying that is the paper ballot.
Kate Rumsey: It's not electronic data being transferred.
Liza Hameline: Yes. No, no. So... First of all, you select your own ballot so this is one thing that happens in the polls that's really weird But there's a reason for this. So the election worker cannot hand just hand you a ballot. You have to pick it up.
Liza Hameline: Because. by constitutional we
Kate Rumsey: That's right.
Liza Hameline: we and
Kate Rumsey: They're like, pick one. And I'm like.
Liza Hameline: Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: It's just on this pile.
Liza Hameline: It's right here. You pick it up.
Kate Rumsey: Haha.
Liza Hameline: Right. No, I know. I always thought it was weird. It's in our Constitution. That. Texans can select their own.
Kate Rumsey: Wow. Okay.
Liza Hameline: ballot.
Kate Rumsey: In the Texas Constitution, we have to select our own ballot, even though it's a...
Liza Hameline: Mm -hmm
Kate Rumsey: pile of paper.
Liza Hameline: It's a pile of paper and you have the right to inspect it And so...
Kate Rumsey: Okay.
Liza Hameline: You can decide, right?
Kate Rumsey: Mmm.
Liza Hameline: You can make sure that there are no other markings on it except for those judge initials and the serial number. Okay?
Kate Rumsey: Oh. Okay.
Liza Hameline: Right.
Kate Rumsey: I guess.
Liza Hameline: So. rob Problem number one.
Kate Rumsey: May I just ask you, though, like you're feeding the paper in and then it prints out and I don't ever really look at it.
Liza Hameline: Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: I just hand it to the next person and I get my sticker.
Liza Hameline: Yes, so when when Right, right. So the first time after you give them your license in our county. What? comes out it prints a serial number that has your precinct information so you can only vote in the races that are in your individual precinct.
Liza Hameline: And so all 254 counties, and this is all over the country. right Every state is divided up into counties. The counties are divided up into precincts. They are the same for Republicans and Democrats.
Liza Hameline: Right. it's the same All voters. Everybody in that one precinct. has to vote on all the same races. So.
Liza Hameline: Just an aside, this is why mid -day kid gerrymandering was a terrible idea. because it is very complicated. to get all of these Bye! like to get all of these races to line up on one little precinct.
Liza Hameline: Okay. And so that's partly why the primary was kind of a mess.
Kate Rumsey: Yes, because of them, yeah. Okay.
Liza Hameline: because of that mid -debt, right? We only do that 10 years because it's... Very complicated process. Anyway. So you want to make sure you only get to vote on your races. So you and I right live in the same part of town.
Liza Hameline: but you have a different house. district member than i do you're in 115 i'm in 105. Right. And we actually we don't live very far from apart from each other, but we are in different congressional districts. You're in 24. I'm in six.
Liza Hameline: We actually don't even have the same. County Commissioner district. You're in too. I'm in. But we live like right next to each other. I mean.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah, I'm in Coppell, you're in North Irving, yeah.
Liza Hameline: But we live close. Yeah. Right. We live close. But again, so. That little bar card. it tells the marker. So just pull up your races so that you aren't.
Liza Hameline: you know Our ballot is, when you see the sample ballots, the Dallas County ballot is really, really long with all the different races because we're a huge city. So you just get the... to vote on the races in your precinct and so you put your paper in and you take your little stylus and you mark your selections on the screen.
Liza Hameline: That. machine is not connected to the internet. They might call it a voting machine. It is not your vote. It is a marking device. Think of it as a big giant mechanical pencil.
Kate Rumsey: I love that. Thank you. Okay. I've never heard this before. This is amazing. Okay.
Liza Hameline: Not connected to the internet
Kate Rumsey: Okay. There's no way that Elon Musk can take Starlink and then go into that machine. okay
Liza Hameline: It's not connected to the internet, period.
Kate Rumsey: Lisa is shaking her head now.
Liza Hameline: No. It's impossible It's impossible. Right, it's just it's not happening So some people have been saying that. they their votes are getting switched. So number one, that's not your vote.
Liza Hameline: it's the marking is potentially getting switched. And that usually that is not happening as much in Dallas County because we have styluses. so right this was something that came out of the pandemic And we just kept doing it, which is we have a little. stylist. to mark. or devices.
Liza Hameline: In Ellis...
Kate Rumsey: So it's like a little paper.
Liza Hameline: You know with a little
Kate Rumsey: Straw with a bulb on the end and you're saying nope
Liza Hameline: Yeah. And yeah.
Kate Rumsey: Not every county does that.
Liza Hameline: Right.
Kate Rumsey: Okay. Like they use their finger. I'm sorry. I'm getting into the weeds on this because I think it's so important
Liza Hameline: They use Mm hmm. Mm hmm.
Kate Rumsey: Because I think a lot of the conspiracies are out there. People are like. well, you know, someone's going to infiltrate the box or, you know, the hanging chat in Florida, you know.
Liza Hameline: Can't happen. Can't happen. Can't happen.
Kate Rumsey: Okay.
Liza Hameline: Can't happen. But. Touch screens. can be fussy and this equipment is Not super high -tech And so if you are using your hand. your finger which is warm which may have oil on it First of all,
Liza Hameline: i mean honestly folks it's like touching a toilet seat like why are you using like that's i'm just that's what i'm saying like use the end of a pencil but don't touch the screen Like use the end of a pencil. use it In Ellis County, they used two tips.
Liza Hameline: In some counties, they use the end of a pencil, right? They pass out pencils. So we're not seeing as much of that in Dallas County because we have the styluses. But. Again. Like.
Liza Hameline: Not everybody is doing right. There's not this.
Kate Rumsey: well that's the point right like that's not centralized so if you're not wanting a stylist you don't do a stylist so that's an interesting part of this whole
Liza Hameline: Requirement Right? It's not centralized.
Liza Hameline: Right.
Kate Rumsey: procedure.
Liza Hameline: Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: Uh, And I'm just wondering, like are there issues that you're seeing? happening today and also maybe a second part of this question is If there are conspiracies out there that you're hearing,
Kate Rumsey: is Do you believe it's part of your job to combat that?
Liza Hameline: i view my job as Prep. as arming folks with the facts. Right? And...
Liza Hameline: the tools that they need. to ensure that voters can vote and that that vote will count. And so... When we hear...
Liza Hameline: these conspiracies. right like this vote switching i think it's important to share factual information i'm not saying and it's not happening it may be happening but number one It's not connected to the internet.
Liza Hameline: It's not a vote. Right? It. It doesn't happen as as much when you use a stylist or a Q -tip or a pencil. And... we All 254 counties have paper ballots. so if when it prints out if you have the wrong candidate marked.
Liza Hameline: you can request another ballot from the judge. and that ballot is spoiled and You can go to a different machine.
Kate Rumsey: You just do another one.
Liza Hameline: Just do another one.
Kate Rumsey: yeah
Liza Hameline: And then your ballot is fed through some sort of a tabulator. and Right? That is also not connected to the internet.
Kate Rumsey: So that box that I get my sticker and I've fed it in, that's not the internet.
Liza Hameline: Okay. Yep. Yep. Not connected to the internet.
Kate Rumsey: Okay. Wow.
Liza Hameline: It is just
Kate Rumsey: I'm learning so much on this podcast.
Liza Hameline: A box.
Kate Rumsey: Okay.
Liza Hameline: It's just a box. Now it's very sealed. Right? the only thing that is connected to the Internet. is When you check in and you gave your license.
Liza Hameline: is the electronic poll book. Because we need to make sure. that you are counted. so that you can't go to another voting site and vote again.
Liza Hameline: That's the only thing that's connected to the internet and that thing
Kate Rumsey: Right.
Liza Hameline: Can't vote. it' I mean, it can't do anything. It is just. database tool.
Kate Rumsey: So, okay, after Election Day, you know, I'm also going to be in the boiler room for Dallas County, so I'll be there doing voter protection efforts.
Liza Hameline: So... Yeah. Mm -hmm Mm hmm. yeah yeah
Kate Rumsey: As I understand, there's boiler rooms across the state.
Liza Hameline: Yep, yep, we've got five
Kate Rumsey: So if you got a problem.
Liza Hameline: Yeah, we've got five regional boiler rooms. Plus, right, we're managing kind of for the smaller counties. So I'll be there with you in Dallas County. I'm super excited about that.
Kate Rumsey: Yay!
Liza Hameline: because i get to manage right the dallas the north kind of the north texas boiler room so right Out of Dallas County, we're going to be helping out Colin and Tarrant and Denton and Kaufman and Ellis and Johnson, and kind of our whole North Texas region.
Kate Rumsey: yaay
Liza Hameline: and then we'll be able to talk with the other boiler rooms right that are right In Harris, in Austin, in the RGV, in Amarillo, in... El Paso. in San Antonio.
Liza Hameline: Right. so that we can talk about what's going on. right in the rest of the state. And a lot of that will be managing, right, making sure that voting sites are open, that everybody who's in line at 7 o 'clock can vote, right, if there are any other other problems.
Liza Hameline: A lot of people are very concerned about ICE showing up at the polls. We in Dallas County, we know we like. we're the county that has had more ice arrests than anywhere else i think in the country And I don't.
Liza Hameline: it is against federal law for federal law enforcement to be at the polls period And that Secretary of State has actually released some guidance on this that federal officials are not welcome.
Liza Hameline: in our Texas polling sites. i am not worried about them showing up at the polling sites i'm worried about them showing up 100 feet outside the polling sites. I'm worried about ice showing up in the neighborhoods.
Kate Rumsey: yeah
Liza Hameline: But what we know is that ice is already in our neighborhoods. and we have a lot of community partners who are doing a really good job continuing to escalate that.
Liza Hameline: And so... What we can do is make sure that all of those community partners have the 844 -TX -VOTES hotline number so that if they see ICE in a neighborhood near a polling site, they can let us know. It means that we should vote.
Liza Hameline: together. right so Grab a buddy and go boat. It also means... Vote before Friday, right? Vote early.
Kate Rumsey: Yes. I know we don't have an election this weekend. I mean, it's Halloween, but...
Liza Hameline: Yeah. Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: I mean, you mentioned earlier with the COVID, we had on an extended. Voter weeks and then two weekends. so I want to touch upon what voter protection is next, but we have a legislative cycle.
Liza Hameline: Mm -hmm
Kate Rumsey: Coming up, if you were to. lobby our local reps to change the election law. what would you ask them to do?
Liza Hameline: o I've got a laundry list already. So number number one.
Kate Rumsey: Okay.
Liza Hameline: We're going to actually have a big change starting in 27. That's already happening. We're getting that second weekend back. Now we're losing.
Liza Hameline: It just means instead of starting on Monday or Tuesday, we're going to start on Thursday. So we're not actually getting any additional time, but we're not going to have this break.
Kate Rumsey: Oh. Okay.
Liza Hameline: I would like to go back to. at least Three weeks. of early voting with you. Two weekends. I also want. 24 -hour voting. you know, right, the drive -through voting. some of those things. But some some some easy things that I think, number one, making limited ballot. a possibility on election day.
Liza Hameline: so right now you can only do it early during early voting it doesn't make any sense why you wouldn't be able to do it. on election day. There's no reason. right there's no I mean, there's nothing that happens on election day that is any different.
Liza Hameline: So I i would get limited ballot.
Kate Rumsey: right
Liza Hameline: Okay. I would like to have or just do away with the limited ballot. I would like to have same day registration. If you show if you are registered.
Kate Rumsey: Yes!
Liza Hameline: already in the state of Texas and you just show up and right and you live in a new county that you can
Kate Rumsey: Yeah, change your, but yeah.
Liza Hameline: just Change it right now.
Kate Rumsey: Or just register online and same day registration.
Liza Hameline: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: Yeah, I mean, at least.
Kate Rumsey: instead of this nonsense.
Liza Hameline: Yeah, none of this like 30 day. cut off like Yeah. So I think that's something that is actually pretty doable. potentially, because it's not like. folks are registering for the first time.
Liza Hameline: We know they're registered.
Kate Rumsey: right
Liza Hameline: They just need to.
Kate Rumsey: It's just the address.
Liza Hameline: This is just the address.
Kate Rumsey: Whatever it is Yeah.
Liza Hameline: Right. And you know what? If we can send our entire voter roll to the federal government, we can figure out how to vote somebody, right? I mean.
Liza Hameline: who used to live in Austin who now lives here. like it it
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: This is not complicated.
Kate Rumsey: Exactly.
Liza Hameline: so
Kate Rumsey: Oh. Well, so... Then what's next? If we have four quarters in a football game or in football season right here now, and I imagine this is like the fourth quarter.
Liza Hameline: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: Mm -hmm.
Kate Rumsey: You're starting a new game. What's going on in the next quarter?
Liza Hameline: Yeah, so actually yeah next season Right.
Kate Rumsey: Next season.
Liza Hameline: So it's right it's the off season. What are we doing in the off season?
Kate Rumsey: Yes.
Liza Hameline: So number one, like you said, quarters. So I think. What we have done historically, and I say we. others who came before you and me. right is that we didn't stand up a full -on voter protection team. you know This is certainly the first time we've done it during a midterm. Like.
Liza Hameline: this big. Right. I mean, we are we are scaling a presidential election year voter protection. program right now. That's what has scaled up. So that' that was the first step.
Liza Hameline: What I would like to see is that we do this every election so that we start sharing. We have. We take our volunteers that are now that are working in the hotline and we start scaling that. so putting our volunteers who answer the county party telephone.
Liza Hameline: putting them through a voter protection training. and having them log those issues because I know when i'm just hanging out at one of the county party offices and vote Phones are ringing.
Liza Hameline: More and than half of those questions are voter protection questions. Right. And so starting to do that. what then that also does is it starts being able, you can train those hops. more people for the hotline.
Liza Hameline: sooner. And you can start training leaders, right? hotline captains so that we can start scaling that program bigger and bigger and bigger. It also ensures that you have in every county, you have somebody who knows how to work the hotline.
Kate Rumsey: Yes. Yeah.
Liza Hameline: So we're going to work on that. I am going to be doing a lot of work in addition to continuing to recruit our county chairs and recruit precinct chairs because.
Liza Hameline: I just love doing that anyway.
Kate Rumsey: It's your other job.
Liza Hameline: Right?
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: Right? In my SDC job. is providing our county chairs with more in -depth training on how to serve on the election board how to call the election board how to demand right how to how to present your county commission with lists.
Liza Hameline: how to... get volunteers ready to testify at Commissioner's Court. Uh, So some of the things that we have seen happen, some of the best practices, I want to start scaling countywide. So one thing that Tarrant County has really taught us is the value in showing up.
Liza Hameline: to your commissioner's court. And so...
Kate Rumsey: Amen. They are the best.
Liza Hameline: Right?
Kate Rumsey: Yep.
Liza Hameline: They are the best and they taught me how to do it so that I could show up. right and so teaching Our... teaching our county chairs how to do that so they can teach their volunteers how to do that.
Liza Hameline: And then teaching our county chairs what power they do have. and you know that's been just really important like number one Okay. There is a requirement under Texas law that your nightly election returns have to be posted by 11 a .m. on your website. Period. That is the law.
Liza Hameline: Most Republican counties are not doing that. They are relying on the Secretary of State, and as I said, the Secretary of State is not doing its job.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: and so i have been hearing a lot of complaints right because we don't have Election night returns, and so one of the things we've done is taught our county chairs, you can go and demand that information from your EA. even if they aren't posting it on the right on the website, you are at least entitled to it.
Liza Hameline: And so, right, that's the first step. And then we're going to start getting it so that they can, you know, right. Petition. either call the election board meeting or figure out how to get that information stood up on their website. So. These are just basic tools that we in the big counties sort of take for granted.
Liza Hameline: Right. Because we know i mean we can look right now and I can tell you what the vote is all all over Dallas County because it's on the Dallas County elections website. But in most of our counties, you can't do that. And so scaling that kind of information and then really setting up right those poll watchers, continuing to recruit poll watchers so that we have.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: Right. A real. Team of poll watchers because your poll watchers then become your next election clerks and your election judges.
Liza Hameline: And as... Yep. we have more people in these counties, right we can protect the vote from inside the polls. And one thing that I've done that's been totally different is that we actually, and this is.
Liza Hameline: dallas county led the way because of some of the issues that we had in the primary the democratic party wanted to do some actual democratic election judge training. And so we did that. And it was such a good idea that we decided to do it statewide. And so we've had two statewide calls. And then I've also done trainings in Bexar County you know in and in some of the little counties.
Liza Hameline: right actually training our judges. And so we're going to start doing that more often because I am amazed you know even in Dallas County, sometimes people get things wrong.
Liza Hameline: And...
Kate Rumsey: yeah
Liza Hameline: And so.
Kate Rumsey: We're human, yeah yeah yeah.
Liza Hameline: Right. Right. And, you know, that the counties do. Right. And part of part of this is because a lot of the Republican counties weren't even offering the training. And so, again, if the Democratic Party is going to have to do the job of government, then we're just going to.
Kate Rumsey: Do the job of government.
Liza Hameline: We're going to do that.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: Well, Is there also... we We have to wrap up. We're going to be a long episode today, but there's so much to talk about. I know there's you know, you're gearing up for litigation potentially and then combating the idea of voter fraud, which we know does not happen.
Liza Hameline: her
Kate Rumsey: There's not a lot of instances of voter fraud, especially in the state. So I'm looking forward to hearing more about what that is. And maybe next year we'll check in on you on the. The year -round efforts, because we got, I think you and I were talking before we recorded that, we've got year -round shenanigans.
Kate Rumsey: We need year -round protection.
Liza Hameline: Yes, we do.
Kate Rumsey: Uh,
Liza Hameline: We do
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: Yeah, this, as I say, this is just the beginning.
Kate Rumsey: Well...
Liza Hameline: I mean, everybody's like, oh, aren't you excited? November 3rd's almost here. And I was like, November 4th's the beginning because 2028 is coming.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: And what I want to do is in 2028. I want to have. the biggest voter protection program in the country. stood up because
Kate Rumsey: Yes.
Liza Hameline: we will have never stopped.
Kate Rumsey: bigger and better.
Liza Hameline: growing. from now.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: yeah and
Kate Rumsey: Well, that gives me a lot of hope and positivity. I'm so glad you're Uh, in this role and I can question you about it and ask questions. But this is where at the end of our podcast, we like to talk about a little bit of good news that's going on in our lives.
Liza Hameline: Hmm.
Kate Rumsey: so I think this is this is good news for me overall, but we need to do a better job as Democrats of spreading the positivity, evangelizing our causes.
Liza Hameline: Mm hmm.
Liza Hameline: Mm -hmm. Yup.
Kate Rumsey: and also spreading What is our good news in our life? So what's something that's going on in your life? I know you got a lot going on, Lisa. you You're a little busy.
Liza Hameline: Hey.
Kate Rumsey: But maybe, you know, maybe there's something after the election that you're looking forward to. But what's something good in your life that's so good that you got to share?
Liza Hameline: Well... Of course, right? the Biggest news, the weekend before early voting started, my oldest son. got married.
Kate Rumsey: Yay!
Liza Hameline: And so that was really, really, really exciting. And I got to be with all of my family and I got to not think about. voting for an entire day. Very
Kate Rumsey: A day? Wow.
Liza Hameline: oh Yes, it literally was one day.
Kate Rumsey: Luxury.
Liza Hameline: Yep. And then it was it was pretty exciting because they both voted in Tarrant County before they went on their honeymoon and shared with me. Right. One had a two hour wait. The other had an hour wait. So we called those into the hotline.
Liza Hameline: but
Kate Rumsey: They will be counted.
Liza Hameline: Yeah, it it has been a real joy. you know when my now daughter -in -law officially changed her name in our little family group chat.
Liza Hameline: to mrs hamline i was just oh it just it warmed my heart so that that was my that was yeah just a reminder that right family is important and all of this work is still gonna be here and Right.
Kate Rumsey: Aww.
Kate Rumsey: That's great. Congrats.
Liza Hameline: We can't fix it. Right. We are not going to have. a perfect election and this was kind of my you know thinking about like a wedding like you're not going to have a perfect wedding.
Liza Hameline: but it's still going to be amazing. and And that's the way I kind of feel about this vote.
Kate Rumsey: yeah
Liza Hameline: right? It's not going to be perfect. There are going to be things that go wrong. But it's going to be amazing. It's already amazing. and we just need to continue to get out the vote so you know when this airs
Kate Rumsey: yeah
Liza Hameline: we have one more weekend before november 3rd go knock on some doors talk to your neighbors make sure people know where to get to the polls share 844 tx votes and mytexasvotes .com If you have questions.
Liza Hameline: Call the hotline. And then...
Kate Rumsey: Yes. Yeah. Well, Briefly, my good news is that we, this month, because I. have left my job and started my own law firm.
Kate Rumsey: And so I was able to. put some travel on my schedule. Unfortunately, I did not think of it ahead, but I did a lot of traveling this month because it's now the election. And I'm like, wait.
Liza Hameline: Wait what?
Kate Rumsey: I'm. I'm gone, but I've been doing a lot during the week while I'm here. putting out signs and door knocking during the week, you know, lit dropping. But my husband and I just went to Vegas. He was supposed to have a guy's trip that kind of fell through. And so I ended up having to go with him, having to, you know, that was a whole thing. but
Kate Rumsey: you know i have a lot of a little bit of guilt that i haven't been on the weekends, at least doing a lot of these block walks, but I'm. trying to assuage my guilt by saying that I'm doing a lot during the week while I'm here. But that was something that was really fun that my husband and I were able to do.
Kate Rumsey: Because back when I was working at a big law firm, I really didn't have a lot of time to myself or to travel. So it's been really great to do that.
Liza Hameline: that's right that's right
Kate Rumsey: But OK, Lisa, our last word, we give you guys whatever you want to say about what you think it'll take, not just with voter protection, but writ large. what it will take for us to flip the state. And hopefully that's going to happen on Tuesday.
Kate Rumsey: But we have to gear up for 2028 and we got to gear up for 2030 and all the redistricting. We're going to get more electoral votes. And we really believe here on the podcast that if we don't flip the state, then we may lose the White House for a generation with all the electoral votes we're going to get here. So what do you think?
Kate Rumsey: you know what we're you're our general we're your soldiers what do you think it's going to take
Liza Hameline: Okay.
Kate Rumsey: to flip the state.
Liza Hameline: Yeah.
Kate Rumsey: What do we got to do?
Liza Hameline: So it's going to take everybody. And I think what a lot of people and certainly I thought that somebody else was doing this work. No, right?
Kate Rumsey: Thank you.
Liza Hameline: If you see something, it's you. It's you. And I'm a firm believer that we can't all block walk. We can't all phone bank. We can't all recruit precinct chairs. We can't all.
Liza Hameline: Right. Work in the boiler room. but there is something that you can do And. some you know right ask Ask somebody, ask. Ask how you can get involved.
Liza Hameline: And don't be afraid, right? You kind of can't. The one cool thing about all of the infrastructure building that we're doing is that we have 254 counties so we can try things. right We're trying some really cool things. in Dallas County that I'm hoping we're going to scale.
Liza Hameline: Right. Tarrant County is. The Tarrant County Democratic Party is doing some really cool things. that I'm hoping we can share.
Kate Rumsey: Yes.
Liza Hameline: But you don't. right if somebody says you need to block walk and you're like that is not for me That's okay. we can find something else for you to do. And, you know, as we gear up, like the ledge is coming.
Kate Rumsey: Yep.
Liza Hameline: like This is when the fun stuff happens, right?
Kate Rumsey: Mhm.
Liza Hameline: So if you don't if you want nothing to do with all this GOTV stuff and you're a big policy wonk, like. 2027 is for you.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah, go to Austin. Talk to your state rep.
Liza Hameline: Yeah, yeah So get involved.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: And then, yeah. So that's, we aren't. We can make this state what we want it to be, but we have to do the work. and that Right? and that's just about building community it's about saying yes and it's about stepping up and you know, taking risks and being okay to fail.
Liza Hameline: and getting back up again.
Kate Rumsey: Yeah. I know, and I think that if... i We'll see what's going to happen on Tuesday. I hope we win all of our statewide elections. but It may not be that we win all of them and we still have to maybe flip the ledge. We have to flip the Senate.
Kate Rumsey: and take back US House, US Congress. So we still have work ahead of us. especially as we gear up for more redistricting. And it seems to me if... uh Republicans seem scared. And if we do anything.
Kate Rumsey: to flip the state, they're going to come back and they're going to realize like. We need to invest more in Texas. And so we have to gear up. And it's not just this fight, it's the fight ahead. so Well, I'm so glad you're you're gearing up for the next season and in this football analogy.
Kate Rumsey: Thank you so much. Where else can people? Find what you're doing and support the cause.
Liza Hameline: Yeah, so go to... texasdemocrats .org, mytexasvotes .com, and you know support our voter protection efforts, support the party, support your local Democratic Party, give to the Dallas Democratic Party. Shout out to my Ellis County Democratic Party, the Tarrant County Dems. Everybody needs help.
Liza Hameline: But we can't. flip the state from the top down. It comes from right spreading spreading that. those resources on the ground where they can go the furthest. and so anytime you know that that's what this you know, your, your Texas Democratic Party is doing right now.
Liza Hameline: It is, you know, right, we keep the staff lean so that we can push more resources down. And, you know, right, it's gonna, take it's gonna take all of us.
Liza Hameline: And so, you know, Right?
Kate Rumsey: Yeah.
Liza Hameline: Become a part of it. So. Well.
Kate Rumsey: And give a reoccurring donation because then you'll pay for people like Lisa to be able to do her job.
Liza Hameline: Yep.
Kate Rumsey: So very grateful. All right, Lisa, thank you so much for coming on our podcast.
Liza Hameline: All right.
Kate Rumsey: Again, I'll sign off by saying God bless Texas and go vote.
Liza Hameline: God bless Texas. Go vote. Let's do this thing.
Kate Rumsey: Let's do it.
