Analysis: It took me three tries to register to vote in Texas — and I’m an elections reporter
Moments after I became a naturalized citizen in 2023, I registered to vote. Here’s what happened next. Full Story
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Natalia Contreras covers election administration and voting access for Votebeat in partnership with The Texas Tribune. She has covered a range of topics as a community journalist including local government, public safety, immigration and social issues. Natalia previously reported for the Austin American-Statesman, focusing on impacts of government policies on communities of color. Natalia previously worked at the Indianapolis Star, where she helped launch the first Spanish-language newsletter, and at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. She was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas in Mexico and grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is based in Corpus Christi.
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![Voter registration forms at a registration event in Austin, on Sept. 27, 2020.]()
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Why this South Texas county closed half its early voting sites for 2024
A new law requires small counties to increase early voting days and hours — with no new money from the state. Full Story
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![The Kiva Hut Community Center in Taft, Texas on Jan 26, 2024. The community center has been the town’s only early voting site for years. It won’t be available for early voters in March or in November following the passage of House Bill 1217. The new law is forcing the San Patricio County elections administrator to shut down four early voting locations.]()
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Why some Texas election leaders are scrambling to find more polling locations, machines and workers
A new law requires counties that allow residents to vote at any polling location to increase the number of locations. Full Story
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![Eliza Smarr and her son Mason, 8, wait in line to cast their ballots on Election Day at the Blue Mound City Hall in Blue Mound on November 8, 2022.]()
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Texas Republicans in one rural county will hand count ballots. Experts say it’s “a recipe for disaster.”
While hand counting ballots is legal, the Texas Secretary of State has warned local party leaders the effort could be costly and time-consuming. Full Story
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![Voters stand in line at Highland Hills Library to cast their ballots on Election Day in Dallas. Nov. 3, 2020.]()
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Tax cuts, teacher pension increases at stake after misinformation-led challenge to 2023 election
Tax cuts were a major legislative priority for Republican leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott. The governor cannot certify the election results until the challenges are resolved. Full Story
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![Travis County residents wait in line to vote at the County Tax Office polling location on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Pflugerville.]()
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Harris County election shows progress. But challenges remain ahead of 2024.
Officials in the nation’s third-largest county had little time to celebrate their successful election before a judge issued a ruling drudged up many of their past mistakes. The county clerk says her team will ensure a successful 2024 election. Full Story
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![Voters cast their ballots at the West Gray Multiservice Center in Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.]()
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A Texas election worker’s heart attack highlights tensions between officials and poll watchers
Williamson County’s top official said a voter fraud activist was responsible for “almost costing someone their life.” Under pressure from her lawyer, he retracted the statement. Full Story
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![Laura Pressley, a self-styled poll-watching expert and vocal opponent of electronic voting systems, listens to proceedings during a trial disputing the integrity of a November 2019 special election, at the Gillespie County Jail in Fredericksburg, on Oct. 10, 2022. Pressley aimed to show that the election process was flawed, and that mistakes made in the tabulation of election results meant that the true outcome of the 2019 special election could not be determined.]()
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Harris County’s voter roll errors — if left unexplained — could fuel claims of voter fraud
This isn’t the first time a state audit flagged such discrepancies. Last year, the state found similar inconsistencies when reviewing Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, and Collin counties’ 2020 elections. Full Story
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![A Harris County election worker carries in ballots and voting supplies from a polling location at NRG Arena Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Houston, Texas.]()
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Heider Garcia, celebrated elections chief from Tarrant County, set to run elections in Dallas
Garcia will replace Michael Scarpello, who had led the elections department in Dallas since 2020. Full Story
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![Tarrant County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia speaks with ballot board workers inside the Tarrant County's central count station on election night. on May 6, 2023.]()
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Distrust of voting machines throws a Texas county’s election planning into chaos
There’s no evidence the machines are insecure, but one Kerr County commissioner is pushing to get rid of them. Two elections administrators have already quit over the commotion. Full Story
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![A group of volunteers demonstrate a hand count of ballots during an Election Integrity Town Hall at the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville on Aug. 22, 2023. The event was hosted by Kerr County Commissioner Rich Paces, who has since February advocated that the county get rid of its voting machines and instead use volunteers to hand count election results.]()
Credit: Natalia Contreras/Votebeat