For Immediate Release April 9, 2016
Will Fort Bend County Have Another Disaster, Ron Reynolds Reelection Without Facing Independent Challenger Beverley Walker?
Beverley Walker, independent candidate, House District 27 (Ft. Bend County)
Ft. Bend County, Texas, 6:45 am: Beverley Walker hopes to place her name on the ballot to run as an independent running against State Representative Ron Reynolds in House District 27 (Ft. Bend County) this November. However, time is running out to get her name on that ballot. The road to ballot access for any independent candidate is difficult under current Texas law in that all independent candidates have to collect 500 signatures of registered voters who did not vote in party primary elections. If there was a primary run off, as was the case in HD 27, independent candidates could not begin to collect these signatures until the day after the primary run off which was May 25, 2016 through June 23, 2016 (30 days).
Unfortunately for Beverley Walker, Fort Bend County, the area in which she lives was declared a federal disaster by the President of the United States due to the rain and massive flooding which took place in the area during the months of May and June. Walker reported, “Walking door to door to the homes of voters who had not voted in either the primary election or the primary run-off election, I was able to collect over 250 signatures. But it was impossible to work around the flooding. The Secretary of State’s response to this was ‘sorry, we can’t help you’.”
Walker believes the current ballot access law for independent candidates is unconstitutional and does not provide equal protection for all individuals in that it sets up a two tiered system that gives independent candidates who did not have a primary run off for the position they seek 114 days and gives independent candidates who did have a primary run-off only 30 days, an 84 day difference.
Walker is hoping to file a federal lawsuit to gain access to the ballot and to obtain equal protection under the laws of our nation, which our U.S. Constitution guarantees its citizens under the 14th amendment of the Constitution.
Linda Curtis of Independent Texans PAC said, “The state of Texas has controlled the ballot in ways that no other state does – like stopping voters from signing petitions if they vote in the primary. They simply refuse to allow independents to pay a filing fee like major party candidates do. House District 27 deserves electoral competition – all Texans do.”
Ron Reynolds, who has the dubious distinction of being chosen by Texas Monthly as the “Worst Legislator in 2013”, badly needs to be replaced. He represents a highly educated, diverse, honest and hardworking constituency in East Fort Bend County, Texas. The embattled legislator’s law license has been suspended by the State Bar of Texas for barratry. He faces an uphill battle to keep his law license and to remain free from jail as he has been sentenced to one year in jail for five counts of barratry. The case is on appeal making it questionable as to whether or not, if reelected, he will be able to even serve one day of his new term.
Additionally, Reynolds faces several civil lawsuits where either his law clients or chiropractic clinics have sued him for money he obtained in personal injury lawsuits, but did not pass the money awarded on to the intended recipient. In one particular lawsuit which has been the subject of several television and newspaper stories, he went to the home of one of his constituents whose daughter had been killed in an eighteen wheeler accident (wearing his state legislator identity) to share his sympathy for what had happened to the constituent’s daughter and subsequently became her lawyer. He successfully represented her, received an award, but failed to pass the money on to the family.
Without intervention, Representative Ron Reynolds will probably be re-elected to the Texas State House of Representatives. He narrowly beat his primary opponent, Angelique Bartholomew. Without Walker entering the race, he will only face his Republican opponent whose chances of beating him in this democratic stronghold where voters will be urged to vote a straight ticket are small or next to none.
Beverley Walker is a licensed attorney. She holds a bachelor’s degree in languages from Texas A&M University, a Master’s Degree from the University of Houston in education and a Juris Doctorate from Texas Southern’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law. She is hoping to raise $12,000 before August 15, so she can file the lawsuit before the time runs out.
She served on the Houston City Council in the 1990’s and is best known for her work in initiating the nation’s first daytime juvenile curfew, a tool that has been used around the country to reduce truancy and fight crime.
Beverley has already set up her organizational structure with the Texas Secretary of State and donations can be made to Beverley Walker for State Representative, District 27; P. O. Box 270005; Houston, Texas 77277-0005.
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For more information:
Linda Curtis Independent Texans PO Box 651 * Bastrop, TX 78602 512-535-0989 home office * 512-657-2089 cell
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