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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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.
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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.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
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.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
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.]()
Credit: Angela Piazza for The Texas Tribune -
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.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
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.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
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.]()
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What’s at stake in the long-awaited trial over Texas’s sweeping 2021 elections law
The GOP-backed Senate Bill 1 added voting restrictions that plaintiffs claim unfairly impacts voters of color. Full Story
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![State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, speaks in favor of Senate Bill 1 on Aug. 11, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Certain Texas counties must increase voting locations despite a lack of buildings and workers
Elections officials say finding new buildings and volunteers will be difficult ahead of the 2024 general election. Full Story
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![A man pedals his bike away from the Bexar County Election headquarters in San Antonio casting his ballot. Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune
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