There are 29 statewide elected offices in Texas. Republicans control 28 of them. And then there’s Lawrence E. Meyers, 68, the senior judge on the state’s highest criminal court and the sole Democrat.
How did he do it? By defection. He was elected in 1992 as a Republican to the state Court of Criminal Appeals, and won re-election as a Republican in later elections. But he switched parties in 2013.
Now, for the first time since crossing over, Judge Meyers is up for re-election as a Democrat in November. To call him an underdog is an understatement. The last time a Democrat won a statewide office was nearly 22 years ago, in November 1994….
Q. Why haven’t Democrats been able to break that 20-year G.O.P. winning streak?
A. More people that would be inclined to vote Democratic are just not voting. I’m not enough of a political strategist to know why people aren’t voting. Part of our strategy to start getting people encouraged to vote — if we can get enough Democrats to make some changes in some things — is to start rewarding people for voting. If they can use their proof of voting to obtain some type of a situation that would be helpful to them, then I think people would vote more.
Q. You mean if people show proof they’ve voted they’re going to receive what, exactly?
A. Then you’re going to get some breaks.
Q. What kind?
A. I don’t want to go into it right now. I had some kind of basic thoughts about it and I’ve taken it to other people who are brighter and smarter than me, and they’ve expanded it. Let’s reward you for voting instead of trying to suppress it.