Perry Asked to Extend Voter Registration Deadline for Ike Victims

Two weeks after Hurricane Ike slammed into the upper Texas coast, things are still far from normal in the Houston-Galveston-Beaumont area, and several activist groups are asking Governor Perry to extend the deadline for citizens of the hard hit areas to register to vote in the November election, 1200 WOAI news reports.

“People in the Houston area really aren’t thinking about registering to vote right now,” said Fred Lewis of the non-partisan group Houston Votes.

The registration deadline is October 6th.

The question is whether the governor has the power to do this. Perry’s office says the only way the governor can extend the voter registration period is if the individual counties formally request it, and so far, no county has.

Lewis says the governor has the power to extend the registration deadline on his own.

Several regions, especially in Galveston, Chambers, and Orange Counties, are still suffering from widespread power and water loss, and the time when these services will be restored is uncertain.

First Hispanic Woman Sworn In As Texas Secretary of State

Esperanza "Hope" Andrade, a San Antonio native from the West Side who was born into a family of cotton farmers, was sworn in as Texas Secretary of State, becoming the first Hispanic woman to fill that position.

She vowed to use her position to "protect the integrity of the election process," and to promote greater voter participation among disenfranchised Texans. She also promised to maintain a business friendly environment for entrepreneurs.

"They say America is another name for opportunity but Texas is the land of unlimited opportunity," Andrade, 58, said in her acceptance speech before hundreds of friends, family supporters and Gov. Rick Perry, who appointed her.

As secretary of state, Andrade will be the state’s chief elections officer, the governor’s liaison on border and Mexico affairs and chief protocol officer for state and international matters.

In remarks before Andrade was sworn in, Perry called his newest appointee "a great champion of San Antonio and a passionate advocate for all Texans."

"It is an honor to have you on our team," he told her.

Photo courtesy of Associated Press