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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 Austin.
Votec, one of only three companies certified to manage voter registration data in Texas, is facing a financial squeeze and asking counties for a 35% surcharge. Full Story
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After declaring a successful hand count of ballots, Gillespie County Republicans had to fix a series of errors in the results reported from almost every precinct. Full Story
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The Texas Secretary of State and other election experts warned Gillespie County Republicans the process would be expensive, time-consuming and less reliable. Full Story
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For a long time, I didn’t want to think or talk about elections or politics. That changed four years ago. Full Story
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Gillespie County Republicans are moving forward with a plan to count votes by hand during the 2024 primary election. Full Story
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Moments after I became a naturalized citizen in 2023, I registered to vote. Here’s what happened next. Full Story
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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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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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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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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