In Other Election News ...

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Oct. 6 against the appeal of the Ralph Nader campaign for ballot access in Texas, concurring with the lower court opinion that the sections of the Texas Election Code challenged by Nader – which impose more stringent petition requirements on independents than on third parties – are in fact "legal and constitutional." The Texans for Nader campaign released a statement saying it found the decision "extraordinarily disappointing" and said that it would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. "The decision preserves the choke-hold of the two-party system and weakens democracy," said campaign spokeswoman Debbie Russell. "Texans will still have the option to write in Nader/Camejo on the ballot, and the campaign will vigorously relay that message, but many independent voices in our state have been stifled." – Michael King

We don't like U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions very much, either, but we really didn't need this mental picture: The Dallas Republican was, back in 1974, one of hundreds of Southwest Texas State students who staged a mass streak-in through the streets of San Marcos. Who cares? Well, Sessions' opponent, fellow U.S. Rep. Martin Frost, who blasted Sessions as a hypocrite for fussing loudly and proudly about Janet Jackson's right breast even though he'd "exposed himself to children and strangers." – Mike Clark-Madison

Texas Impact and Campaigns for People have been holding a series of "See for Yourself" sessions at area wi-fi-enabled locations to "teach Texans how to scrutinize in minutes candidates' campaign contributions" – basically a tour through the state of Texas' Web database of campaign contribution and expense reports. Upcoming events: Tuesday, Oct. 19, 6pm at BookPeople (603 N. Lamar); Thursday, Oct. 21, 5:30pm at Mozart's Coffee Roasters (3825 Lake Austin Blvd.), and Saturday, Oct. 23, 9am, at the Downtown Farmers Market (Republic Square, Fourth and Guadalupe). For more info, call 472-3903 or 472-1007. – Lee Nichols

The second annual Extravagasm Fantasy Ball will be held at the Parish (214-B E. Sixth) at 8pm on Saturday, Oct. 16. The event is described as "equal parts fetish and fantasy" offering "performances and alternative people-watching in a sex-positive, kink-friendly environment." Why is this on our election page? Because a portion of the proceeds will benefit VoterVirgin, an Austin-based project dedicated to enlisting and educating first-time participants in the electoral process (www.votervirgin.com). Tickets ($10 advance, $12 at the door) are available at all three Forbidden Fruit locations or at www.frontgatetickets.com. For more info, go to www.extravagasm.com or call 453-8090. – L.N.

Latinos for America will conduct a half-day Get Out the Vote Workshop on Saturday, Oct. 16. Two identical sessions will be held 8:30am-noon and 1-4:30pm. Class size is limited to 30 in each session. Cost is $25 per person. To register, go to www.latinosforamerica.com. For more info, e-mail teri@democracyfortexas.org