Dallas County GOP’s push to hand-count 2026 ballots could upend voting for Democrats
The move could require a shift away from countywide polling sites and delay primary election results. 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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![Republican Primary ballot boxes wait to be hand counted by poll workers in Fredericksburg on March 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Paxton sides with Texas GOP, against secretary of state in lawsuit seeking to close primaries
Secretary of State Jane Nelson said in a filing that Paxton’s office gave her less than an hour’s warning that they’d be siding against her agency in court. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton gets up to shake the hand of Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French during a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth on Jan. 6, 2025. Standing behind Paxton, hands together, is Abraham George, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas.]()
Credit: Emil T. Lippe for The Texas Tribune -
Texas counties struggle to process voter registrations using state’s new system
State officials push back on complaints about software problems. Meanwhile, unprocessed applications are piling up. 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.]()
Credit: May-Ying Lam for The Texas Tribune -
Some Texas counties replace touchscreen voting machines after Trump order
Collin, Bastrop and Williamson counties say they’re proactively changing their voting procedures and equipment following a federal attempt to limit barcodes or QR codes on paper ballots. Full Story
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![Voters head to the polls on the last day of early voting in Collin County on Oct. 30, 2020.]()
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Texas lawmakers to consider restoring limits on late voter registration changes
Legislation pushed by Gov. Greg Abbott would bar voters at the polls from immediately casting a ballot based on a last-minute update to their address. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott addresses law enforcement officials during a Southwestern Border Sheriff’s Coalition event in Austin on April 29, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
How Texas’ mid-decade redistricting could affect voters in one Houston community
The congressional seat in Texas’ 18th District, a hub of Black political power, has been vacant for months. Redistricting could further disrupt representation for its voters. Full Story
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![Former state Rep., Houston Mayor and U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner addresses the crowd gathered on steps of Houston’s City Hall in support of a 10,000 Black Men rally on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. Turner, who died in March, represented Houston's Congressional District 18.]()
Credit: Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribune -
Justice Department presses Texas for list of registered voters and the officials who check it
For now, the state is holding off on fulfilling the request while it switches to a new voter registration management system. 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.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
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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![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.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
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
![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.]()
Credit: May-Ying Lam for The Texas Tribune