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News For October, 2020

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At least 9.7 million Texans — 57% of registered voters — voted early

By Mandi Cai Updated: Nov. 6, 2020

During early voting in Texas, at least 9.7 million people — 57.4% of registered voters — cast their ballots in the 2020 general election. Turnout on Election Day brought this year’s overall turnout to 66%, surpassing 2016's turnout of 59.4%. Full Story

Credit: Emily Albracht
Texas is on track for record turnout in this election after breaking early voting records

By Jeremy Schwartz, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Mandi Cai, The Texas Tribune Updated: Nov. 1, 2020

After early voting, 57.3% of registered voters in Texas have cast ballots, just shy of the total turnout of 59.4% in 2016. Full Story

Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
Biden camp cancels multiple Texas events after a "Trump Train" surrounded a campaign bus

By Kate McGee, The Texas Tribune, Jeremy Schwartz, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Abby Livingston, The Texas Tribune Updated: Oct. 31, 2020

The highway skirmish came as Democrats close ground in a state that is polling competitively in the race for president. Recent polls indicate the presidential race in Texas between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden is tight, with some national prognosticators calling it a “toss-up.” Full Story

Credit: Screenshot via Twitter
"It’s wholly un-American": Harris County drive-thru voters await court rulings as Texas Republicans push to invalidate 127,000 votes

By Jolie McCullough Oct. 31, 2020

A conservative activist and three Republican candidates have asked state and federal courts to toss the votes and shut down drive-thru voting in the state's most populous, and largely Democratic, county. Full Story

Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune
At the center of many Texas congressional battles: Who will protect preexisting conditions rules?

By Kelsey Carolan Oct. 31, 2020

Many members of both parties say they want to preserve protections for people with preexisting conditions, though Democrats say Republicans are being disingenuous about the issue. Full Story

Credit: Gary Rhodes for The Texas Tribune
“No one understands how difficult elections are to run”: Officials in small-town Texas endure a stressful election

By Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff Oct. 31, 2020

While big cities and high-stakes lawsuits dominate Texas voting news, the election may come down to rural counties like Archer or Aransas, where there's usually just a few people to handle registering voters, reporting results — and everything in between. Full Story

Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune
As Texas Republicans center campaigns on city crime, anti-police brutality activists say the party's messaging is racist

By Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff Oct. 31, 2020

GOP campaign ads paint cities as lawless places and Democrats as enablers of crime. But people pushing for criminal justice reform say those portrayals sidestep the systemic racism that prompted this year’s protests against police brutality. Full Story

Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
During Texas visit, Kamala Harris urges Democrats to turn out as election approaches and races remain tight

By Alex Samuels Updated: Oct. 30, 2020

Harris spoke in Fort Worth during the first stop of a daylong tour of Texas. Her message: The Democratic presidential ticket isn’t ceding Texas to the GOP this year. Full Story

Credit: REUTERS/ Verónica G. Cárdenas
Chip Roy and Wendy Davis go down to the wire in a tight TX-21 race that has Texas’ full attention

By Abby Livingston Oct. 30, 2020

Roy, the Republican incumbent, and Davis, the Democratic challenger, share very little in common politically, but they each have a passionate following and an ardent group of opponents. Full Story

Credit: Eddie Gaspar and Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
El Paso businesses caught in the middle of a tug-of-war between county judge, mayor over shutdown order

By Julián Aguilar Oct. 30, 2020

Mayor Dee Margo and County Judge Ricardo Samaniego have battled over what authority local officials have to issue stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Story

Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune
Texas has added 1.8 million registered voters. Where they are shows how the state has become more competitive.

By Mandi Cai, Alex Samuels, Darla Cameron and Matthew Watkins Oct. 30, 2020

Most of the new voters registered in the state's fast-growing urban counties or suburbs. Full Story

Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
Miles to go before they vote: Without absentee ballots, displaced Texans cross the country to vote at home

By Karen Brooks Harper Oct. 30, 2020

Worried because their absentee ballots never arrived, two American University students rented a Volkswagen Golf and drove 30 hours across half a dozen states to cast their votes in Texas this week. Full Story

Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
Point of Order: The state of the race for Texas House speaker

By Evan Smith Oct. 30, 2020

In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith and Ross Ramsey discuss the contours of the speaker’s race. Full Story
Texas Democrats think a seat on the oil and gas regulating board could be their best chance of winning statewide in two decades

By Sami Sparber Oct. 30, 2020

With attention on Texas races up and down the ballot, a virtually unknown Republican candidate and big-time donations to the Democratic nominee, Democrats think they have a shot of winning a seat on the Railroad Commission. Full Story

Credit: Todd Wiseman/The Texas Tribune
More than 9 million Texans have cast ballots so far, surpassing the state’s total votes cast in 2016

By Alex Samuels, Matthew Watkins and Mandi Cai Updated: Oct. 30, 2020

Texas’ population is growing, and it extended its early voting period this year due to the coronavirus. Experts are predicting the percent of registered voters who cast ballots this year will be higher than it has been for years. Full Story

Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune
Collin County is the center of a political storm as the Texas suburbs become more competitive for Democrats

By Patrick Svitek Oct. 30, 2020

A Republican stronghold as recently as a few years ago, the county north of Dallas is now home to two of the most hotly contested state House races and a congressional contest about which Democrats are increasingly bullish. Full Story

Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune
For nearly 3 million disabled Texans, voting this year is even harder

By Trinady Joslin Oct. 30, 2020

Texas voters with disabilities have long faced challenges casting ballots in a state with spotty accommodations. The pandemic and record turnout have made it more difficult. Full Story

Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
Texans no longer have a straight-ticket voting option. How that affects Texas House races is unclear.

By Cassandra Pollock Oct. 30, 2020

With control of the Texas House on the line, Republicans and Democrats are closely monitoring the state's massive voter turnout. But with no straight-ticket voting, how many voters are getting to the end of their ballots? Full Story

Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune
Analysis: A Texas election with a decade of politics at stake

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 30, 2020

A nine-seat change in the Texas House could affect the balance of power in the Texas Capitol, but also in Congress. Texas lawmakers will draw political maps next year that could remain in place until the 2030 census. Full Story

Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
What you should watch — and what you should ignore — while the votes are being counted in Texas

By Matthew Watkins Oct. 30, 2020

It's been an election season like no other. Brace yourself for a results process that lasts longer than in recent elections. Full Story

Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune

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