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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #17 of The Tap, which was published on May 21, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

The New York Times published an investigative report based on interviews with dozens of women who worked with Donald Trump in real estate, modeling, and pageant competitions over four decades. Some women said that he had supported their careers, while others suggested “unwelcome romantic advances, unending commentary on the female form, a shrewd reliance on ambitious women, and unsettling workplace conduct.”
- Trump tweeted in response, “The failing @nytimes wrote yet another hit piece on me. All are impressed with how nicely I have treated women, they found nothing. A joke!” He accused the newspaper of refusing to use women who would say that Trump had helped them.

Delegates at the state convention for the Republican Party of Nebraska passed a resolution rejecting Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse’s call for a third party candidate. Sam Fischer, a delegate and nephew to Nebraska senior Sen. Deb Fischer, introduced a resolution "threatening to pull support from Republicans who oppose Trump or advocate a third party," according to The Washington Post.

Louisiana state legislative special elections:
- In House District 29, Edmond Jordan (D) defeated Vereta Lee (D) in the runoff election. Since neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the April 9 special election, the two candidates were forced into a runoff election. The seat was previously held by Ronnie Edwards (D), who died of cancer on February 24, 2016.

In Texas, the race for the Place 7 seat on the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District school board ended in a tie after the provisional ballots were counted. Although the general election was held on May 7, 2016, the ballots were not completely accounted for until a week had passed. Both candidates, Eladio Jaimez and Rosalinda Mercado-Garza, received 1,422 votes each in their bids to replace outgoing incumbent Verna Young, who held the seat for 15 years. The school board met on May 19, 2016, to vote on when to hold a second election between the two candidates.
- Section 2.002 of the Texas Election Code states that in the event of a tied vote, "the tying candidates may agree to cast lots to resolve the tie." Accordingly, the candidates were given the option of tossing a coin to determine the winner. Both Jaimez and Mercado-Garza declined this option, which triggered a recount that confirmed the tie. The district's chief financial officer reported that the recount cost the district $2,000 and estimated that the special election will cost another $30,000.

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #16 of The Tap, which was published on May 14, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.