District 23 Run-Off Date Challenged

The Associated Press reports that the Dec. 12 date set for the Congressional District 23 runoff is being challenged by Latino groups because it coincides with the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a major religious holiday for Latinos. According to the story, Texas is simultaneously asking the U.S. Justice Department to approve the date because pushing it back further is impractical, and also claiming the state doesn't need federal approval because the court decision that created Dist. 23 this summer ordered that the runoff be held at the earliest date possible, which is Dec. 12. The League of United Latin American Citizens fears that holding the election on that date will suppress turnout in this San Antonio-to-El Paso district that is heavily Hispanic and deeply affect a race expected to be close: Republican Henry Bonilla led the first round of voting in the special election at 48.6%, while five Democrats combined for 48.7%, led by former Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, who previously represented Dist. 28. Given that the U.S. Supreme Court ordered Dist. 23 redrawn because the previous, Tom DeLay-engineered boundaries violated Hispanics' voting rights, it would be surpassing idiotic if this race were influenced by reduced Latino turnout. EDIT: The AP now reports that a federal judge has ruled that counties in the district may extend early voting through Saturday, Dec. 9, and the Rodriguez campaign has dropped its opposition to the Dec. 12 date.