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buckeyefan4

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  1. Congratulations on getting the Covid vaccination. I know it was a mandate, but it could very well save your life. There are documented cases of those who have already survived Covid once passing away from the Delta variant. Now, don't forget to buckle your seat belt when driving, stop at red lights, get you pet rabies shots, carry insurance, pay taxes, and all those other things we do that are mandated for the common good of us all.
  2. When will it be time is the million dollar question I think we're all asking! For us, we will continue to social distance, wear masks in public and follow safety protocols until the numbers for the latest Delta variant surge decline. I don't know what the exact measurement will be, but we'll be on the side of caution. Our hope is we don't see yet another variant of this virus that mutates and has more of an effect on those of us who decided to get vaccinated. Unfortunately this virus became politicized early on in the pandemic. People that have been vaccinated from other diseases from an early age have suddenly become skeptical of science and expertise. So we have a whole group turning away from an approved vaccine and taking horse paste. As long as we have 30%-40% of the American people "thinking" that way it will be harder to get past this pandemic. We don't plan on letting their selfishness and ignorance kill us.
  3. I don't believe this affects the current process for requesting a ballot for mail in voting. You can still request a ballot and have it mailed to you outside of the county. This law makes it a felony for any election official to proactively send out applications for mail in ballots to voters. The law is geared toward preventing sending absentee/mail-in ballot applications out on a mass or county-wide basis to all voters.
  4. Appreciate the quick response on this from the Escapees!
  5. I received the Special Bulleting in email from the Escapees Club that discussed changes to the Texas Election Code and that specifically addressed concerns around SB 1111. It is reassuring to note that the Polk County Voter Registrar believes it will be "business as usual" for Club members voting and registering to vote despite this new law, and that she has no intention of sending out voter confirmation notices to members of the Escapees. The explanation of the Voter Confirmation Form and guidance on completing that Form was very useful as well. I appreciate the prompt response to my questions from the Escapees Club leadership about the potential impacts of this law. I know I will be more vigilant in watching voting laws that wind through the Texas legislature in the future, and I will be closely watching the lawsuits impacting the interpretation of SB 1111 as they go through the legal process. Thanks again for the quick replies to these concerns.
  6. Travis and Kirk, Thank you for the response. It is reassuring to know there are attorneys examining this law to help protect our right to vote. Regarding any future communications about this law from the attorneys, one specific item that would be helpful to me is how to legally respond to the "Notice to Confirm Voter Registration Address by Providing Documentation" (SOS Form 17-4, 8/2021) if we receive this from the Polk County Registrar. This is the form sent if the residence address on your voter registration application has been identified as a commercial post office box or similar location that does not correspond to a residence. The purpose of this notice is to confirm that the address provided to the voter registrar is indeed a residential address. When this form is received we have only 30 days to respond, so it's best to know how to respond now given a short timeline, especially if we are on the road and not getting mail on a regular basis. If we do not respond in 30 days we are removed from the voting rolls. At the bottom of this form are 5 statements that must be attested to by the recipient of the form. In my view sections (a) and (f) under the definition of residence are at the crux of this issue for members of the Escapees. Any advice on legally responding to these sections and attesting to the form would be most helpful. I tried to attach a copy of the form, but it is too large. Here's the pertinent section requiring affirmation: I understand that giving false information to procure a voter registration is perjury, and a cri me under state and federal law. Conviction of this crime may result in imprisonment up to 180 days, a fine up to $2,000, or both. Please read all five statements to affirm before signing. • I am a resident of this county and a U.S. Citizen; • I have not been finally convicted of a felony, or if a felon, I have completed all of my punishment including any term of incarceration, parole, supervision, period of probation, or I have been pardoned; • I have not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote; • My residence address as listed above meets the definition of residence as defined by Section 1.015 , Texas Election Code and listed below. Sec. 1.015. RESIDENCE. (a) In this code, "residence" means domicile, that is, one's home and fixed place of habitation to which one intends to return after any temporary absence. (b) A person may not establish residence for the purpose of influencing the outcome of a certain election. (c) A person does not lose the person's residence by leaving the person's home to go to another place for temporary purposes only. (d) A person does not acquire a residence in a place to which the person has come for temporary purposes only and without the intention of making that place the person's home. (e) A person who is an inmate in a penal institution or who is an involuntary inmate in a hospital or eleemosynary institution does not, while an inmate, acquire residence a t the place where the institution is located. (f) A person may not establish a residence at any place the person has not inhabited. A person may not designate a previous residence as a home and fixed place of habitation unless the person inhabits the place at the time of designation and intends to remain. • If my residence has no address, I swear that the concise description given above accurately describes where I live. Thank you again!
  7. Kirk, I think we can look to the bill's sponsor for intent of the law. This bill was spearheaded by Republican state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, who before being elected in 2014 served as Harris County's Tax Assessor-Collector, which at the time was the the county's voter registrar. Bettencourt's argument has been that no one lives in a P.O. Box. “We have 4,800 people registered at private UPS boxes around the county, and that’s certainly enough to influence the outcome of local legislative races or district races of all types," Bettencourt said. In fact, this was the same argument made by the dissenting judge in the SPEIGHTS v. WILLIS case you cited. Regarding the address on your voter registration form matching your driver's license, yes, that document is permitted when responding to a voter registration confirmation form. However, the voter confirmation form clearly states that "A person may not establish a residence at any place the person has not inhabited." This is a new phrase in the law added by SB1111. Which goes back to what seems to the intent of the law that you can't live in a PO Box and use that to establish residency. Again, not trying to fear-monger, but there is enough doubt/confusion that an opinion by an Escapees attorney on impact to members voting rights would be very helpful.
  8. KirkW, Thank you for the post. I am not "frightened" by much anymore. But I do know this law has been passed and may be problematic. I also do like to plan ahead and anticipate issues. I am also very passionate about protecting my right to vote. I'm awaiting communication from Escapees about the impact of this law and will have my plans in place to act accordingly. Simple as that.
  9. bigjim, we are also watching this very closely. Obviously, this could have a big impact on many people in the Club. My wife and I have a combined 25 years of military service along with three combat deployments. We are not going to give up the right to vote after defending that right for others. We're beginning to make plans and exploring options if we get disenfranchised in Texas.
  10. My wife and I have been members of Escapees and have been full-timers since 2017. We have been very pleased with the Mail Forwarding Service, and have used our PMB to acquire Texas driver's licenses, register our vehicles, and register to vote. We typically spend 2-3 months per year in the Kerrville area getting annual check-ups and getting the rig serviced. We don't own any property or lease any lots in Texas or any other state. All seemed well, but I noted--and this thread is in no way meant to be political--that Senate Bill 1111 went into effect on 9/1/21. SB 1111 in essence bans Texas voters from registering to vote using a post office box as their address. I realize our PMB is not a PO Box, but the law also states "A person may not establish a residence at any place the person has not inhabited." Obviously, we can't inhabit a PMB. The bill empowers voter registrars to send a confirmation notice letter to a registered voter requiring them to confirm their address. If a completed confirmation notice is not received within 30 days, that voter may become unregistered and be unable to vote. To confirm the address of their current residence the voter must sign a sworn statement that their address is not a commercial location. They would also have to provide the same information required for one to register to vote, including some form of identification. To add to my confusion, you can show a driver's license as a valid form of ID, but that contains the PMB address. Is it just me worrying, or are those of us using the PMB to register to vote in danger of being taken off of the voter roles?
  11. Eddie, The $55K amount is what we expect to spend based on our lifestyle. We are both retired after each having 35+ years of working in the civilian sector and being in the military.
  12. They are definitely giving the test at Livingston. They schedule Class A/B testing every Wednesday.
  13. My wife and I both successfully completed our driving test for the Class B non-CDL license in Livingston this morning. We drove our Class A motorhome to the Livingston DPS location, parked in the designated location on the street and finished back-to-back exams. I thought the test was very fair, it was pretty simple, and the examiner was pleasant and professional. Here's a quick summary: We arrived about 20 minutes early and started the exam as soon as we walked in and signed in. The exam started with the examiner outside of the motorhome checking lights, turn signals, brake lights and the horn while I watched her signals through the windshield or mirror. She then entered the coach and we went into a parking lot where I did a series of turns to show I could maneuver the coach. None of the turns were tight or difficult. She then had me drive parallel to a curb on the passenger side, exited the coach, and watched from the rear while I backed up in a straight line along the curb about 25 yards. I kept her in sight in the mirror at all times and she told me when to stop backing. She got back into the coach and we did about a 15-20 minute drive. It was a combination of city (in Livingston) and freeway (US 59)driving, with one entrance onto the freeway and one exit. In every instance she gave very clear directions where to go and plenty of time to execute a turn or lane change. We then returned to the DPS office, and parked in the same spot. This was a pretty simple test, no tricks, and very painless. There's no doubt the folks in the Livingston office are accustomed to dealing with the RV Community and want to make the process of getting a license in Texas fair, but as simple as possible. They are definitely knowledgeable about the different tests and licenses required based on your RV. Glad we're done!
  14. We have been full timing for over a year now and have some history in addition to our planned budget. All in, we're looking at about $55K per year. That includes all spending of all types, including food, gas, spending money for fun, campground rent (we try to stay a month at a time in campgrounds), cell phones, insurance, etc. It does not include any motorhome payments. One thing working for us is that we are both eligible for VA benefits, so we only have some co-pays for prescriptions and visits to the clinics when needed. Not being eligible for Medicare yet would have given us a lot of additional expenses for health insurance.
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