As fears of election-related unrest rise, here's what you need to know about poll watchers in Texas
Political parties are enlisting a record number of poll watchers in Texas and across the country for a highly charged election season. Full Story
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![Poll workers Al Johnston and Sue Denson run through the check in process at training lab at the Collin County Elections Department on June 23. Plexiglass screens to separate employees from voters are one of several protective measures added by Collin County to prevent the spread of COVID-19.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's ratings fell during the pandemic, UT/TT Poll finds
As the pandemic has dragged on in Texas, the distance between Abbott's approval and disapproval ratings from voters has narrowed, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott gives an update on Texas hospital bed capacity and the state's strategy for fighting COVID-19 during a press conference at Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin in June.]()
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John Cornyn leads MJ Hegar by 8 points in U.S. Senate race, UT/TT Poll finds
Cornyn, the Republican incumbent, leads Hegar 50%-42% in his bid for a fourth term, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. candidate MJ Hegar and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.]()
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Donald Trump leads Joe Biden by 5 points in Texas, UT/TT Poll finds
The president leads the former vice president 50%-45% in Texas, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas counties can allow bars to reopen. Only 1 of the state's 10 biggest counties has said it will.
While Denton County is moving forward, Dallas and Harris counties officials almost immediately declined the offer to allow bars to reopen. Many others are taking a wait-and-see approach. Full Story
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![The San Jac Saloon attracts customers with drink specials and live music on May 22, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
In new email, senior aides say Ken Paxton used power of his office to benefit political donor Nate Paul
The aides are doubling down on accusations they made last week to law enforcement that Paxton had committed crimes including bribery and abuse of office. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to the Gun Owners of America assembly in 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn says he’s “not really happy” with the way Ken Paxton has run the Texas attorney general’s office
Cornyn said the allegations against Paxton “need to be investigated.” Full Story
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![US Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and US Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speak to media following Texas Public Policy Foundation's annual policy orientation in Austin on Jan. 11, 2019]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Carrollton mayoral candidate arrested on suspicion of fraudulently obtaining mail-in ballots
The candidate allegedly forged voting registration applications and had mail-in ballots sent to a post office box. It’s unclear how many actual ballots were involved in the scheme. Full Story
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![Mail-in ballot application.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Travis County district attorney's office disputes part of Ken Paxton's defense of bribery allegations
Among the documents Paxton released Wednesday was a June 10 referral from the Travis County district attorney’s office, which asked the attorney general’s office to investigate a complaint that appears to come from Nate Paul. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addresses reporters on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court after the court took up a major abortion case focusing on whether a Texas law that imposes strict regulations on abortion doctors and clinic buildings interferes with the constitutional right of a woman to end her pregnancy in Washington March 2, 2016. At right is Texas Solicitor General Scott Keller.]()
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Wi-Fi buses were a quick solution for student internet access, but as schools reopen they need their buses back
As more students return to school in person, some school districts are having to trim back programs that deployed buses as hot spots in neighborhoods for students with little or no internet access. Full Story
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![Austin ISD school buses are stationed across the district in high impact areas to provide students with Wi-Fi for online learning. AISD plans on providing Wi-Fi access to students Monday to Friday from 7:30am till 4:30pm, all the way through Oct 5th.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
How Texas has made it easier and harder for people to vote in the pandemic
Voting rights groups say last-minute changes to the voting process in Texas have created confusion. Gov. Greg Abbott’s office says he has expanded accessibility by allowing voters to submit mail-in ballots in person before Election Day. Full Story
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![People drop off their mail-in ballots at the Bexar County Elections Department in San Antonio on Oct. 5, 2020.]()
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Appeals court says census count must continue through the end of the month
The government had requested a stay after a federal judge blocked the administration’s efforts to end the count last week and process the data in time to deliver it to the president for apportionment by a statutory deadline of Dec. 31. Full Story
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![United States Census 2020 mailers sent to Austin. Photographed on June 23, 2020.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott says bars can reopen next week at 50% capacity if counties opt in
“It is time to open them up,” Abbott said in a Facebook video announcing the move. “If we continue to contain COVID, then these openings, just like other businesses, should be able to expand in the near future.” Full Story
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![A bartender waits for customers at Buck Wild on West Sixth Street in downtown Austin as bars reopen on May 22, 2020.]()
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TribCast: Voting issues in Texas and Ken Paxton's troubles
In this week's TribCast, Matthew speaks with Emma and Cassi about the turmoil at the attorney general's office, legal fights over voting issues in Texas and how the 2021 legislative session will look. Full Story
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Biden campaign to spend $6 million on Texas campaign ads, more than any Democratic presidential nominee in decades
The Biden ad buy as comes as The Lincoln Project, the group led by former Republican strategists working to defeat Trump, launched a $1 million digital ad campaign in the state. Full Story
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![Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden spoke during a campaign stop in Dallas in March.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill for The Texas Tribune -
Federal appeals court says Texas doesn’t have to give geriatric inmates hand sanitizer for now
The order temporarily blocks a lower court’s ruling that would have gone into effect Oct. 14 and forced Texas to provide more protective measures against the coronavirus at a geriatric prison. Full Story
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![Birds fly overhead at the Hilltop prison unit in Gatesville, Texas, Nov. 25, 2019.]()
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Harris County can't send mail-in ballot applications to all registered voters, Texas Supreme Court rules
The elections administrator for the county, Texas' most populous and a critical stronghold for Democrats, has already sent the applications to voters 65 or over. The GOP Texas Supreme Court ruled he may not send them to the rest of the county's 2.4 million registered voters. Full Story
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![Mail-in ballot application.]()
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Essential workers and vulnerable Texans will be first in line for a coronavirus vaccine, state says
State officials are asking doctors, nurses and pharmacists to identify “critical populations” as they predict an initial shortage of coronavirus vaccine doses. Full Story
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Early voting can start Oct. 13 as scheduled, Texas Supreme Court rules
The Texas Supreme Court ruled against several GOP officials who pushed to keep early voting to a two-week period during the pandemic. Full Story
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![People wait outside the Bexar County Elections Department in San Antonio to drop off their mail-in ballots, voter registration applications or to be trained as poll workers on Oct. 5, 2020.]()
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How police reform and racial justice are influencing a competitive congressional election in one Houston-area district
Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls, like many Republicans in Texas, has made support for the police a key tenet of his campaign. But Democrats have made his law enforcement record a point of attack. Full Story
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![Protesters gathered at a rally for George Floyd in Houston in 2020. Floyd, a former Houston resident, was killed in Minneapolis during an arrest by police.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune
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