Federal appeals court extends block on voting-by-mail expansion in Texas
The appellate panel extended a temporary order it issued earlier halting a federal judge's order expanding voting by mail during the coronavirus pandemic. Full Story
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Alexa Ura
Demographics Reporter/Associate Editor
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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.
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TribCast: How Texas is mourning George Floyd and protesting police brutality
On this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Matthew, Alex, Ross and Miguel about how Texas is mourning George Floyd and protesting police brutality, and the group does a quick elections check-in. Full Story
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![Demonstrators in downtown Houston rally for George Floyd on June 1, 2020.]()
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Three top Texas GOP officials who oppose expanding mail-in voting have each used it
Texas' top Republican officials call absentee voting a recipe for fraud and are fighting efforts to expand it during the coronavirus pandemic. But the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general have all used the option. Full Story
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![From left: Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
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Texas on the hook for $6.8 million after long voter ID fight
The state plans to appeal the Wednesday ruling from a federal judge in Corpus Christi. Full Story
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Texas Supreme Court: Lack of immunity to coronavirus alone isn’t enough for mail-in ballot
Although the court sided with state Attorney General Ken Paxton's interpretation of what constitutes a disability, it indicated that it is up to voters to assess their health and determine if they meet the state's definition, which could allow them to vote by mail. Full Story
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![The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
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TribCast: How to vote in a pandemic and Texas' record unemployment rate
On this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Matthew, Emma and Ross about the state's recently released guidance for the upcoming elections, the reopening of water parks and the economic devastation faced by Texas workers. Full Story
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![Dallas voters wait to cast their ballots on Super Tuesday during the 2020 primaries on March 3, 2020.]()
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Texas recommends people bring their own hand sanitizer to vote this summer
The secretary of state suggested that voters "may want to consider" voting curbside if they have symptoms of COVID-19, including a fever, cough or sore throat, when they arrive at a polling place. Full Story
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![People wait to vote after polling places' official 7:00 closing time, at Tompkins High School in Katy in Fort Bend Co. on ...]()
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Federal appeals court temporarily blocks voting-by-mail expansion in Texas
While a panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals put one federal judge's ruling on hold, the Texas Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a separate case aimed at limiting mail-in voting. Full Story
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TribCast: Bars are back, but questions remain on child care and voting by mail in a pandemic
In this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Matthew, Aliyya and Ross about the latest reopenings in Texas amid missed benchmarks, child care complications for low-income parents and swirling voting-by-mail questions. Full Story
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![At an Austin location, reopened retailer Urban Outfitters limits occupancy and requires customers to wear masks and mainta...]()
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Federal judge says all Texas voters can apply to vote by mail during pandemic
District Judge Fred Biery granted a preliminary injunction that allows all registered voters to apply to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic after finding the state's existing election rules violate the Equal Protection Clause. Full Story
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Texas Supreme Court puts expansion of voting by mail on hold
The state Supreme Court's order comes one day after a state appeals court had allowed the expansion to stand while a legal case was appealed. Full Story
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Texas appeals court allows expansion of voting by mail during ongoing legal fight
The appeals court ruled against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who argued that a lower court ruling expanding who can qualify for an absentee ballot during the coronavirus pandemic should have no effect while he appeals it. Full Story
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Texas attorney general asks state Supreme Court to step into fight over voting by mail
Ken Paxton, a Republican, wants the state's highest civil court to tell five counties — all under Democratic control — to follow his interpretation that fear of contracting the coronavirus isn't a legally valid reason for voters to request absentee ballots. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton at the inaguration ceremony of Judge Michelle Slaughter at the state capitol. Jan. 11, 2019.]()
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Texas meatpacking plant reverses course, will allow state to test workers
State health officials say the JBS Beef plant rejected its efforts to test all employees. The company switched gears Wednesday afternoon after the Tribune reported on the lack of testing at a plant tied to a rapidly growing cluster of coronavirus cases. Full Story
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![The JBS beef processing plant in Cactus on Jan. 28, 2020.]()
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TribCast: The “don’t do as I say” coronavirus edition
On this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Ross, Emma and Matthew about the governor's move to pull back on the enforcement of his executive orders related to the coronavirus pandemic and a GOP congressional hopeful's misleading messaging on voting by mail. Full Story
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![COVID-19 related message on a building on East Sixth Street in downtown Austin on May 6th, 2020]()
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Texas' age limit for mail-in ballots discriminates against Latinos, LULAC argues in new lawsuit
The civil rights group is raising questions of constitutionality and violations of the federal Voting Rights Act because the pool of voters eligible to vote by mail based on age is predominantly white. Full Story
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![Mail-in ballot envelopes at the Travis County Elections division headquarters.]()
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Texas doubles early voting period for July primary runoff elections
Early voting for the July 14 runoffs will begin June 29, instead of July 6, under a proclamation issued Monday by Gov. Greg Abbott. Full Story
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![Voting signs at the George Washington Carver Public Library polling location in Austin on March 3, 2020.]()
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Texas’ rules for mail-in voting won't work during pandemic, a new lawsuit argues
In their suit, a group of Texas voters and civic organizations claim that four Texas absentee voting rules are unconstitutional during a public health crisis. Full Story
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![Voting signs at The University of Texas at Austin campus.]()
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TribCast: The governor's quicker-than-expected move to further reopen Texas
On this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Matthew, Emma and Ross about the governor's move to reopen more businesses in Texas more quickly than expected and the implications of those reopenings. Full Story
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![The Parlour Salon in San Marcos on April 10, 2020.]()
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Abbott sending "surge team" to look at spiraling coronavirus rates near Texas meatpacking plants
As Gov. Greg Abbott continues lifting restrictions on Texas businesses and activities, coronavirus infection rates are exploding in Panhandle communities near meatpacking plants. Full Story
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![The JBS beef processing plant in Cactus on Jan. 28, 2020.]()