Past Contributions

• Texas vaccine exemption rates: Look up your district or private school

  By Shelly Cheng and Elizabeth Byrne Aug. 13, 2019

  In Texas, parents can get their children exemptions from the vaccines required to attend public and private schools for "reasons of conscience." Use our lookup tool to see how exemption rates have changed in school districts and private schools across the state. Full Story 

• Texas vaccine exemption rates have reached an all-time high. Did Texas make it too easy for parents to opt out?

  By Elizabeth Byrne and Shelly Cheng June 12, 2019

  Texas has resisted recent attempts to change its vaccine laws, allowing parents to get their children exemptions for "reasons of conscience." Use our lookup tool to see how exemption rates have changed in school districts and private schools across the state. Full Story 

• We asked every Texan in Congress: Have you read the Mueller report?

  By Abby Livingston and Shelly Cheng Updated: June 6, 2019

  We also asked the 38 members of the Texas delegation how Congress should respond to the Mueller report. Full Story 

• Is Texas really going purple? Our Heat Index will show how competitive your district was — and is.

  By Shelly Cheng and Ross Ramsey June 4, 2019

  Is Texas really a swing state? To explore the question, we looked at nearly 20 years of election data to assess the competitiveness of every congressional and legislative district in the state. Take a tour of some of the state's hot spots and then type in your address to find out the lay of the land in your districts. Full Story 

• Some lawmakers want Texas to release vaccine opt-out rates for each school, not just for districts

  By Elizabeth Byrne and Shelly Cheng April 26, 2019

  Texas tries to track the number of students with vaccine exemptions every year, but the data is incomplete and doesn't include the opt-out rates for individual public schools. Amid a recent rise in measles cases across the country, some in the Legislature are calling for more detailed reporting. Full Story