Texas Senate revives effort to make illegal voting a felony
Despite the lack of evidence of widespread voter fraud, the Texas Senate seems intent on raising the penalty for voting illegally from a misdemeanor to a second-degree felony. State Senator Bryan Hughes filed Senate Bill 2 on February 23rd, which would both make illegal voting a felony and change the standard for determining someone's intent who has illegally voted. Currently, an individual violates the law when they “knowingly or intentionally” vote or try to vote in an election in which they “know they’re not
Conspiracy Theorists and 16-Hour Days: Inside the Stress Elections Officials Face Ahead of Midterms
Election administrators across the state of Texas have faced increased scrutiny and stress since the 2020 election cycle. Since the election, supporters of President Donald Trump have sent a barrage of public information requests to election offices across the state, including those in the smallest and reddest Texas counties where Trump won handsomely. The increasing demand has left many workers burnt out. According to the secretary of state's office, 30% of Texas election workers have left their jobs since 2020; in one county, the
Texas GOP’s voting restrictions bill could be rewritten behind closed doors after final House passage
After accepting several amendments offered by the Democratic minority, Republicans of the Texas House have sent a controversial voting bill to a conference committee, where its final form will be decided. While a growing public outcry against the bill means certain provisions have been modified to make the legislation less restrictive, Republican control of the Texas government makes it likely that the final version of the bill will remain unacceptable to many voting rights advocates and Democrats. Additionally, the revision process in the conference
How split-ticket voting might have saved two Republican Texas lawmakers in a blue county
A look at how some Texas voters were willing to vote for Joe Biden for President, but still voted for Republicans in congressional races, and how that shifted the balance of power in this year’s election.Visit The Texas Tribune to learn more.
Early voting can start Oct. 13 as scheduled, Texas Supreme Court rules
The Texas Supreme Court ruled that early voting can begin as scheduled on October 13, rebuffing GOP challenges to limit it to two weeks during the pandemic.Visit the Texas Tribune to learn more.