Heider Garcia resigns as Dallas County elections chief
The election official, who previously worked in Tarrant County, won praise for pushing back on misinformation. 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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![Tarrant County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia talks with ballot box workers inside the Tarrant County's central count station on election night. on May 6, 2023.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
Texas redistricting standoff complicates preparations for March 2026 primary
New maps would mean months of work for election officials, and key deadlines are approaching. Full Story
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![Voters line up to cast their ballots at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Austin on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022.]()
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Local Texas election officials concerned about software vendors’ financial scare
Votec, maker of voter registration management software used in Texas’ largest counties, has thrown election officials for a loop with mixed messages about its financial viability. Full Story
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![Lily Trieu, interim executive director of Asian Texans for Justice (ATJ), who produced a report researching Asian voters, holds a voter registration card in her home in Austin on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. Asian communities are growing rapidly in Texas, but still feel left out of the political process.]()
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As Texas embraces federal immigration database to verify voter citizenship, some experts are worried
Texas officials praise the revamped immigration database, but some critics are raising concerns about data privacy and accuracy. Full Story
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![A poll pad with an ID check-in is active before Gillespie Co. residents check in for a mock election hosted on Feb. 6, 2024. The poll pad is used for voter check in and verification for county and precinct.]()
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Ken Paxton investigating “potential noncitizens” for voting in 2020 and 2022 election cycles
Most of those voters are in Harris County, home to Houston. Noncitizen voting is illegal and documented instances are rare. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fields questions at the Frisco Gun Club during a press conference announcing his intent to sue the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on May 1, 2024. This comes after the Justice Department announced a new rule requiring all gun sellers to conduct federal background checks on buyers, closing what is known as the “gun show loophole”.]()
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Texas lawmakers failed to pass a proof of citizenship law but made other changes to elections
Successful measures include a new early-voting schedule, revised mail-voting procedures and limits on curbside voting. Full Story
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![Ector County residents cast their vote at a polling location inside a Market Street grocery store in Odessa shortly before polls close on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.]()
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Trump aides want Texas to redraw its congressional maps to boost the GOP. What would that mean?
The plan would shift voters from safely red districts into blue ones. Members of the state’s Republican delegation aren’t sold on the idea. Full Story
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![The newest drafts of the statewide congressional districts in Texas outside the Senate Chamber in the Texas Capitol in Austin on Sept. 30 2021.]()
Credit: Dimitri Staszewski for The Texas Tribune -
Texas bill creating more weekend early voting could boost turnout, but delay election results
A bill headed for Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk may not go into effect until 2027. Election administrators say the changes could create staffing challenges. Full Story
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![The line wraps around the sidewalk at the Cinco Ranch Branch Library on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Ft Bend County.]()
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Texas secretary of state refers 33 potential noncitizen voters for criminal investigation
The 33 potential voting violations are a tiny fraction of the roughly 11 million who cast ballots in the November 2024 election. Full Story
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![A sign warns non-citizens against voting outside of a polling location in Canyon Lake on Nov. 05, 2024.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas attorney general won’t get new powers to prosecute election crimes after legislative deadlock
Ken Paxton sought more power for his office to take up election cases. But lawmakers haven’t agreed on a measure that would give it to him. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to the media on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, during a press conference following arguments in the case “Free Speech Coalition, Inc., et al. v. Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas,” at the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C.]()
Credit: Luke Johnson for The Texas Tribune