/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.
The high court declined to immediately reinstate a federal judge's order that would have allowed all Texans to request absentee ballots if they fear catching COVID-19 at crowded polling places. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0926d08d6b9b5f22f9188a9edf5f08e1/US%20Supreme%20Court%20TT.jpg)
We want you to help us report on the challenges Texans face when trying to vote and how the pandemic is affecting elections. Share your experiences with us. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/aace76ca4c0f8f3a975d6e3ef196d58c/Early%20Voting%20HTX%20MS%20TT.jpg)
New U.S. census estimates show the gap between Hispanic and white populations in the state continues to narrow, and Hispanics are projected to become the largest population group a year earlier than previously expected. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e9337b5e6225b1fc309dfba74fc1c00f/Census%20Mail%20EG%20TT%2004.jpg)
Siding with the state, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo found that Democrats lacked standing to overturn Texas Republicans’ decision to kill straight-ticket voting ahead of the November general election. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/085ecbac2a242ca363bb770d42cdbb14/PRIMARY%20VOTING%20HOUSTON%20MS%20TT%2001.jpg)
On this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Matthew, Aliyya and Ross about mask requirements for businesses, what school reopenings could mean for students and parents, and what we're watching for during the upcoming election. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d6ebfaedd281677af2afafa2181b9984/TribCast%20June%2024.jpg)
Runoffs to set party tickets for November were postponed in May as coronavirus took hold. Early voting now starts June 29, and voters are being largely left on their own to balance their voting rights with the health risks of going to a polling place. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/488dd8964a2da83dfb7d39f97f95b77c/Super%20Tuesday%20Houston%20MS%20TT%2017.jpg)
On this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Matthew, Emma and Shannon about record high coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, a damning report of Texas foster care and a Supreme Court ruling on protections for LGBTQ workers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c1964959d4cf7d97691cf90323ba4829/TribCast%20June%2017.jpg)
The university announced the latest changes Tuesday to accommodate students returning in the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a93d4c5c53bae2810ded0abb1604d349/TAMU%20File%20AG%20TT%2013.jpg)
The Democrats are asking the Supreme Court to let stand a lower court's sweeping ruling that would allow all Texas voters to qualify for mail ballots. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d938b75c82be121c236072f3003101b7/Mail%20in%20Ballot%20Form%20Voting%20MG%20TT%2001.jpg)
On this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Matthew, Jolie and Ross about racist social media posts by GOP officials, and the group forecasts the possibility for policy reform in the aftermath of Floyd's death. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a4f3e8359352edd872c40f4a7db826ee/TribCast%20June%2010.jpg)
A Texas Supreme Court ruling gutted their case, so plaintiffs have asked that their state lawsuit be dismissed. But litigation over expanding absentee voting during the pandemic continues in federal court. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/7c19652210eaf0154892c83e95888fcf/Mail%20in%20Ballot%20Form%20Voting%20MG%20TT%2006.jpg)
“They had to watch this man literally gasp for air ... to give a damn,” one Austin organizer said about the momentum building after millions saw the video of Floyd’s death. “They saw it. It was real, and I think that’s why we are where we are.” Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/482e0044db51a552fa740f7dee4f0cbc/Floyd%20Rally%20Houston%20PYH%20TT%200246.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ebc4c03df183c4b98f554f25e85b2a71/Mail%20in%20Ballot%20Form%20Voting%20MG%20TT%2007.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e1fd87b72c4b4cd701ecb9f1e8363da1/TribCast%20June%203.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/51437d3098d562fd2080887c776ef45a/Abbott_Patrick_Paxton%20TT%2001.jpg)
The state plans to appeal the Wednesday ruling from a federal judge in Corpus Christi. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/MustShowIDToVote.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/15cb105b44faa22de231c889b5899fd3/Texas%20Supreme%20Court%20MG%20TT%2012.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/25b97543b7596b6699693d102cf709b7/TribCast%20May%2027.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1897688765d98f4bde46fd6392510a4c/Voting_in_Katy_TX_PYH_TT.jpg)
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