Billy Pierce

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Billy Pierce

Libertarian Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Years of service

1995 - 2005

Personal

Birthplace

Cleburne, Texas

Religion

Christian

Profession

Offshore energy industry

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Billy Pierce (Libertarian Party) ran for election for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector in Texas. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Pierce completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Billy Pierce's professional experience includes working in the offshore energy industry. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1995 to 2005.

Elections

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2020)

General election

General election for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector

Incumbent Ann Harris Bennett defeated Chris Daniel and Billy Pierce in the general election for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ann Harris Bennett (D)	53.1	834,405
		Chris Daniel (R)	43.6	685,791
		Billy Pierce (L)	3.3	52,045

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,572,241
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector

Incumbent Ann Harris Bennett defeated Jolanda Jones and Jack Terence in the Democratic primary for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ann Harris Bennett	58.3	157,161
		Jolanda Jones	37.8	101,760
	Submit photo	Jack Terence	3.9	10,590

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 269,511
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector

Chris Daniel advanced from the Republican primary for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Daniel	100.0	155,745

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 155,745
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector

Billy Pierce advanced from the Libertarian convention for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector on March 14, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Billy Pierce (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary convention

Billy Pierce declared his candidacy for the Libertarian convention on March 14, 2020.

Campaign themes

2020

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released October 18, 2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Billy Pierce completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Pierce's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Billy Pierce, the Libertarian Party Nominee for Harris County Tax Assessor and Voter Registrar

I'm running because I care about my neighbors. I don't like seeing our government taking advantage of my friends, taking them for granted, and pitting them against each other. As our government becomes more and more partisan, Harris County will benefit from someone not caught up in arguments between Red and Blue, but instead focused on protecting the property and rights of our people.

I served 10 years on Active Duty in the US Navy, and I've worked in the Energy Industry for 15 years. I've studied Business and Political Science at Old Dominion University and the Center for Executive Development at the Mays School of Business. I'm a father of 5 daughters and an emotional baseball fan.

I'm running because I care about my neighbors. I don't like seeing our government taking advantage of my friends and neighbors, taking them for granted, and pitting them against each other. As our government becomes more and more partisan, Harris County will benefit from someone not caught up in arguments between Red and Blue, but instead focused on protecting the property and rights of our people.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• The Property Tax cannot be assessed fairly, especially during and after a pandemic. I'll call for a freeze on appraisal increases until fair market value can be objectively determined. And while they are frozen, we'll work to reform the whole darn thing.
• As our government becomes more and more partisan, Harris County will benefit from someone not caught up in arguments between Red and Blue, but instead focused on protecting the property and rights of our people.
• Voter registration and the maintenance of the list of registered voters will likely soon become the responsibility of an independent Office of the Harris County Elections Administrator. There is a lot that must be done to facilitate the efficient transfer of these responsibilities. The key to this new system is making the new Office truly independent and Non-partisan (not just bi-partisan). It should be staffed based upon aptitude, not political party. Databases should be checked against other sources to identify possible inaccuracies, but the Administrator must protect due process rights without fear of political reprisal. Voters' rights must be protected and the Right to Vote treated as sacred.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Voters' rights should be protected & the Right to Vote treated as sacred. I fought to protect that right as a veteran, & I'll continue to honor that oath.

Taxation is stealing. And, until we can stop people from being taxed, it should be done accurately, fairly, at the minimum amount possible, and with the most representation possible.

We should eliminate all "off-budget" spending: if politicians are so ashamed of how they're spending taxpayer money that they need to hide it, it needs to be cut - immediately.

"No citizen of this State shall be deprived of life, liberty or property, privileges or immunities, or in any manner disenfranchised, except by due course of the law of the land." Texas Constitution, Art. 1, Sec. 19.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The personal accountability, the duty of protecting the money that people were required, under threat of force, to pay to the government. Protecting that money is the LEAST that we can do. Making sure that voter registration and information is accurate, and that the due process rights of everyone involved are protected.

"No citizen of this State shall be deprived of life, liberty or property, privileges or immunities, or in any manner disenfranchised, except by due course of the law of the land." Texas Constitution, Art. 1, Sec. 19.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

The perfect example of Jesus. Earthly honorable mentions include Dr. Ron Paul, Justice Antonin Scalia, Jeremy "Spike" Cohen, and my mentor in the US Navy, Jeff Wall.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Economics in One Lesson. This is an introduction to economics written by Henry Hazlitt, Simply put, the "One Lesson" is that the art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Government overspending attracts politicians who seek to profit on the backs of taxpayers. Lean gov't budgets will attract ethical public servants who want to do the right thing and save taxpayers money. Who do you want in Harris County?

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Calculates property tax rates for the county

Collects property taxes for the county
May collect taxes for cities, schools, and other local taxing entities
Processes motor vehicle title transfers
Issues motor vehicle registration and licenses
May process boat titles and registrations
Registers voters and may conduct elections (depends upon the county)

Collects various other fees for the state and county

What legacy would you like to leave?

Good and Faithful Servant

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the Challenger explosion, as we watched it live at school. I was 8 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at Junky John's salvage yard in Alvarado, Texas during high school before joining the US Navy.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The bond requirements to assure that the tax dollars are protected.

The soon-to-be transfer of responsibility for voter registration records to a (hopefully) non-partisan independent office within the County.

The skill for revenue forecasting.

The willingness to tell other offices within the County "No" when it is appropriate.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Government, yes. Politics, No.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Financial training, organizational budget management, revenue forecasting experience, data management experience, understanding of the legal system at the State and County level, especially with regard to vehicle registration and licensing.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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