The Evening Brief: Nov. 6, 2013

New in The Texas Tribune

•    Thousands of Affidavits, Few Problems With Voter ID Law: "Election officials from some of the state’s 10 most populous counties said there were few instances in which voters were unable to cast their ballots or had to cast provisional ballots because of questions about their ID. Still, because of the new law, thousands of voters were required to sign affidavits affirming their identity before voting."

•    Abbott Renews Call for Oversight of Federal Navigators: "Attorney General Greg Abbott joined Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday in requesting additional state oversight of the federal navigators who are helping Texans sign up for health insurance through the online marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act."

•    UT/TT Poll: Border, Fiscal Issues Top Texans' Concerns: "Immigration and border security still top the list of most important state issues, while federal spending, the national debt and the economy top the list of most important national issues, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll."

•    The Polling Center: What Early Poll Results Tell Us: "The context of a survey conducted a little more than a year before Election Day clarifies two seemingly contradictory results: a competitive gubernatorial race among registered voters alongside a substantial Republican advantage in party identification and political engagement."

•    Interactive: How Prop 6 Fared in Drier Counties: "Proposition 6, which takes $2 billion from the state’s Rainy Day Fund for use in financing water projects around the state, passed with no problem, even in areas mostly untouched by the historic drought plaguing the state. Less than 10 percent of the state’s 254 counties voted against the proposal, and those counties were sprinkled throughout Texas. In the 20 counties with the most voters, the proposition passed easily enough to swamp 'No' votes elsewhere, making passage certain just minutes after the first tallies came in on Election Night."

Culled

•    David Barton Won’t Primary Cornyn (National Review): "Controversial Evangelical author David Barton just announced that he won’t challenge Senator John Cornyn in the 2014 Texas Senate primary. On Glenn Beck’s radio show this morning, he told Beck’s listeners that, though the primary is 'winnable,' the timing isn’t right for him."

•    Regent told Saban’s agent UT-Austin prez would be gone by year’s end (Houston Chronicle): "University of Texas System regent Wallace Hall, under a legislative investigation for allegedly abusing the power of his office, assured an agent for Alabama football coach Nick Saban that UT-Austin would be under new leadership by the end of the year, according to a memo that Dallas businessman Tom Hicks wrote to his brother, Steve, another UT regent."

•    Wendy Davis says “I am pro-life” because she wants to protect women (The Dallas Morning News): "Davis’ advisers are trying to figure out how to deal with abortion as an issue in the conservative state of Texas. In South Texas, Davis gave some indication. At a stop in Brownsville, Davis described herself as 'a woman who wants desperately for others who are coming up in poverty to receive the same kind of partnership from the state that I once received so that they too can become a part of the success of Texas.'”

•    Rep. Burgess, a Texas doctor, wants to cure Obamacare for what he says ails it (Fort Worth Star-Telegram): "A 62-year-old physician who had an ob/gyn practice for more than 25 years in North Texas, Burgess had to prepare himself for a marquee hearing Wednesday when Republicans finally had a chance to grill Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about the disastrous launch of the Obamacare website. From the moment he headed to his suite of offices in the Rayburn House Office Building to the time he left Wednesday afternoon, there was no stopping Burgess."

•    Morning News to print Star-Telegram (The Dallas Morning News): "Beginning early next year, The Dallas Morning News will take over printing and packaging of the Star-Telegram, the daily newspaper in neighboring Tarrant County, eliminating about 275 jobs there. 'This makes all the sense in the world,' said Jim Moroney, publisher of The News and chairman, president and CEO of its parent company, A. H. Belo Corporation."