/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/ura-alexa_TT.jpg)
Alexa Ura is an associate editor and reporter at The Texas Tribune. As the Tribune’s demographics reporter, she covers the intersection between politics and race with an emphasis on the state’s surging Hispanic population. She also covers voting rights issues for the Tribune, where she started as a reporting fellow in 2013. She’s a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins decided early on not to be timid in his response to the coronavirus. He moved quickly to shut down the nation's eighth most populous county, and prodded other counties and Gov. Greg Abbott to follow along. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/979394d6b6cbfb04d1d2d876de5943f7/Clay%20Jenkins%20MKC%20TT%2024.jpg)
Gov. Greg Abbott previously paved the way for municipalities to push their May elections to November. But a handful of small towns and special districts hadn't canceled despite fears of infection spreading at polling places. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0bf05bcb19239250d603167392aa86fa/Southwestern%20Primary%20Day%20AP%20TT.jpg)
On this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Ross, Emma and Jolie about Gov. Greg Abbott's response to the coronavirus outbreak, the newest front in the state's fight against abortion and the state vs. local battle over bail. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5f4a3e410e2dd25dfef68e4cb3666ba2/TribCast%20April%201.jpg)
A few small towns and water districts aren't canceling their May 2 elections despite fears of infection spreading at polling places. But it appears most cities across Texas have pushed their elections back to November. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/085ecbac2a242ca363bb770d42cdbb14/PRIMARY%20VOTING%20HOUSTON%20MS%20TT%2001.jpg)
Coaxing census participation was going to be hard enough in some of Texas' poorest communities. With coronavirus restrictions, organizers turned to driving sound trucks around colonias on the border, but now even that won't be possible. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/17c108518f6e62ea6b3cd1eb39f6db66/Hidalgo%20County%20Census%20VGC%20TT%2005.jpg)
On this week's TribCast — a different format in the time of the new coronavirus — Alexa talks to Mitchell, Julián and Jolie about rising unemployment in Texas, the outbreak's effect on immigrants and delayed justice in the court system. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/467533ba7863f13f8ef4e67f878a7b49/TribCast%20March%2025.jpg)
Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday postponed the May 26 runoff election to July under the emergency powers of his previous statewide disaster declaration. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/044bd2fb5447918c79f6b5f8a164da3b/Super%20Tuesday%20voting%20Austin%20JV%20TT%2005.jpg)
The Democratic Party wants a judge to declare the novel coronavirus a circumstance that allows anyone to request a mail-in ballot. The GOP has opposed expanding the state's limited absentee voting rules. Full Story
In a rare voting fraud case, Crystal Mason was sentenced to five years in prison for casting a provisional ballot in 2016 while on supervised release for a federal felony. She says she did it on the advice of a poll worker. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/13e32fdfeb4c5c034a71f797bdf05a5d/03%20Crystal%20Mason%20LBS%20TT.jpg)
Experts said the state’s testing capability wasn’t where it needed to be to measure how effective efforts to contain the virus have been or where the outbreak is on its trajectory toward peaking. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8594e2cd687b084568e43f95d478d66e/Drive%20Thru%20COVID%2019%20JV%20TT%2014.jpg)
On this week's TribCast — a different format in the time of the new coronavirus — Alexa talks to Edgar and Aliyya about the state's response to a growing outbreak, an assessment of hospital capacity and the impact of school district closures. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f8b8715f542b30b7ab11a547e0ce3b70/TribCast%20March%2018%20TT.jpg)
Gov. Greg Abbott has yet to issue guidance on the May 26 runoff election. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/81c9da53207033f52e08714094eaa6b6/Election%20Day%20Signs%20EG%2001.jpg)
Years of work went into planning neighborhood canvasses and educational efforts to reach out to every Texan, especially those most likely to be missed in the tally. Now those efforts are down for the count. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/00aa6fd0895cbbbb16bdfb6f850109b4/MLK%20Day%20JV%20TT%2020.jpg)
Officials made the announcement late Thursday. One out of five new cases disclosed in Dallas County came from someone who has no travel history. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8350a4b252a48880035024a6a565a9df/Dallas%20Skyline%20IS%20TT.jpg)
On this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Edgar, Matthew, Evan and Cassi about the status of the new coronavirus outbreak in Texas, Super Tuesday voting blunders and outgoing House Speaker Dennis Bonnen's comments on his own downfall. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/18f9a9916badbb2151bc6348adc6b2cd/CoronaCast%2002.jpg)
County officials asked for a redo of their vote count after discovering they missed ballots from 44 tabulating machines. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/28cfad506c42f2b362b3cc20eb9bb221/Dallas%20Voting%20File%202020%20LBS%2003.jpg)
It was largely human error and inexperience that caused massive lines and statewide vote miscounts during the March 3 primaries. Local election officials are trying to learn their lessons and avoid similar blunders in the general election. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/7d6c8bd4879a21c8a860da39ffeb3f47/Super%20Tuesday%20voting%20Austin%20JV%20TT%2003.jpg)
Election officials discovered that an unknown number of votes weren't counted on Super Tuesday. It's unclear if any election outcomes might change when they are tabulated. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b9d15b5eabad32332b3435bc490315ed/Dallas%20Voting%20File%202020%20LBS%2001.jpg)
In a petition filed late Friday in state district court, the county is seeking to perform a recount of backup paper ballots. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b250def87509627039aab89ee1f89179/Dallas%20vSuper%20Tuesday%20LBS.jpg)
Some voters in Houston were stuck in excessively long lines and were forced to wait more than six hours to cast their ballots. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f8ef466e6e0203d79fafb53b5b48caf8/TSU%20Line%20HOUSTON%20CHRONICLE%20JS%20TT%2009.jpg)