Analysis: It's harder to vote in Texas than in any other state
Voting laws in Texas are the most restrictive in the country. And voter turnout here is among the lowest, too. Maybe those facts are related. Full Story
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![A voter casts their ballot at a polling site at the Austin Oaks Church on Oct. 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Two key Texas counties — Democratic stronghold Harris and traditionally red Denton — are setting early voting records
As of Friday, 27% of registered voters in Denton County had cast their ballots in the 2020 election — surpassing the county’s 2016 turnout of 18% on the fourth day. Full Story
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![A line outside a polling location during the first day of early voting in Houston on Oct. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Supreme Court will review Trump plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from calculations for congressional seats
Texas is among the states that could lose congressional seats and federal funds if undocumented immigrants are excluded from crucial calculations. Full Story
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![The United States Supreme Court in Washington on June 11.]()
Credit: Reynolds Stefani/CNP/ABACA via REUTERS -
Texas unemployment rate rises to 8.3% in September, seven months into economic recession
After a summer of declining unemployment rates following Gov. Greg Abbott's widespread business reopenings during the pandemic, the state's unemployment rate jumped to 8.3% in September. Full Story
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![Pueblo Viejo in Austin closed its dining operations following an executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott which limits social gatherings to 10 people. March 20, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas hits nearly 17 million registered voters for November election
The final number heading into the Nov. 3 election represents 1.9 million more registered voters than Texas had for the 2016 presidential contest. Full Story
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![Voters wait in line at a polling site at Bee Cave City Hall on Oct. 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Watch: Three Democratic challengers say there’s an outpouring of national support to flip the Texas House
Akilah Bacy, Joanna Cattanach and Celina Montoya are running for Texas House Districts 138, 108 and 121, respectively. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott boosts COVID-19 resources in Amarillo, Lubbock, where hospitalizations are rising
Abbott said Friday that the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Division of Emergency Management sent surge resources to the Panhandle and South Plains areas. Full Story
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Swamped with voter requests, the Texas secretary of state's office has become a focus of frustration
A small elections staff, many working from home because of the pandemic, is trying to process a record number of requests for registrations and mail-in ballot applications. Full Story
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![A mail-in ballot application.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Democrats overwhelm Republicans in latest fundraising period for Texas' hottest U.S. House races
Across 10 battleground seats that national Democrats want to flip, all but one Democrat outraised their Republican opponents. Republicans, meanwhile, kept cash-on-hand leads in most of the nine contests where they were outraised. Full Story
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![A view of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on April 13, 2020.]()
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Texans with criminal records face increasingly limited housing options. Homeless advocates say a new rule could leave them with even fewer choices.
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is proposing that people with certain criminal convictions be temporarily or permanently blocked from living in tax-supported developments that provide support services. Full Story
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![Tents at a homeless encampment on state-owned property in Austin on Feb. 25, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus hospitalizations are up in Texas as some fear the state is headed toward another surge
Experts blame social gatherings like birthday parties and football games for the recent upticks. They say there is widespread fatigue for following stringent guidelines to wear masks, practice social distancing and avoid crowded indoor spaces. Full Story
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![A drive-thru testing location for COVID-19 at El Paso Children’s Hospital.]()
Credit: Emily Kinskey for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Running government like a business — except for elections
You've heard that refrain — the one about running the government like a business — from dozens of candidates over the years. In the case of voting, businesses might be a good place for government officials to pick up some pointers. Full Story
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![Herb Kelly and his wife Linda Simien Kelly, who is an artist in Houston, wait in line at the Metropolitan Multi-Services Center on W. Gray Street during the first day of early voting in Houston on Oct. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
MJ Hegar nearly doubles John Cornyn's third-quarter fundraising in U.S. Senate race, erasing his cash-on-hand advantage
The Democratic challenger raised $14 million to $7.2 million for the Republican incumbent, and she has $8.5 million cash on hand to his $8 million. Full Story
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![Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and challenger MJ Hegar face off in a Nexstar televised debate on Oct. 9, 2020, at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. Hegar is slightly behind the long-time senator in the latest polls late in the campaign.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/Courtesy of Nexstar Media Group -
Texas quickly appeals Travis County judge's ruling that would allow multiple absentee ballot drop-off sites to reopen
A federal appeals court recently upheld Gov. Greg Abbott's order limiting mail-in ballot delivery locations. The Travis County lawsuit focuses on potential state law violations. Full Story
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![The Travis County Tax Office at 5501 Airport Blvd. is now the only drive-thru location open for hand delivery of mail ballots in the county. The drop-off location photographed here on Oct. 2, 2020, will be open until Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
As El Paso sees another record high for coronavirus infections, leaders step up restrictions
In addition to greater capacity limits for nonessential businesses, visits to nursing homes and elderly care facilities will be put on hold. Full Story
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![A sign over U.S. Route 54 in El Paso cautions social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.]()
Credit: Emily Kinskey for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott picks Rebeca Huddle for Texas Supreme Court vacancy
Abbott, a former Texas Supreme Court justice himself, picked Huddle to serve on the all-Republican high court. Full Story
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![Rebeca Huddle.]()
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Top Democratic super PAC boosts MJ Hegar in Texas' U.S. Senate race with $8.6 million TV blitz
The group is jumping into the contest with an ad campaign targeting Republican incumbent John Cornyn on health care. Full Story
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![Democratic mugs, stickers and buttons on display at the Travis County Democratic Party office in Austin.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas State University pauses diversity training after Trump executive order threatens federal funding
Trump’s executive order, signed on Sept. 22, requires federal contractors and agencies that receive federal grants to discontinue training that contains “any form of race or sex stereotyping” and other “divisive concepts,” which could include discussions of the existence of white supremacy. Full Story
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![Two students sit under a sign encouraging students to wear a mask on the first day of classes for the fall semester at Texas State University in San Marcos on Aug. 24, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Harris County tried to make voting easier during the pandemic. Texas Republicans fought every step of the way.
In a bitterly contested election overlaid with the fears and risks of an uncontrolled pandemic, Harris County has become a case study in raw politics and partisan efforts to manipulate voter turnout. Full Story
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![A man readjusts his mask after showing his face to match his ID at the Metropolitan Multi-Services Center on W. Gray Street during the first day of early voting in Houston on Oct. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans' last-minute challenge to drive-thru voting in Harris County dismissed by appeals court
The court filing from just before early voting began was the latest GOP effort to tamp down voting options in the state's most populous county. Full Story
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![A election worker holds a voting machine in the window of a car using the new curbside voting system in Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune
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