Texas Senate backs crackdown on mail-in ballot fraud
The Texas Senate has approved a bill aiming to crack down on mail-in ballot fraud, largely by beefing up criminal penalties — a response to voting irregularities in Dallas County. Full Story
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Jim Malewitz
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Jim Malewitz was a reporter at the Tribune from 2013 to 2017, covering energy and environment and then working on investigations. Previously, he covered those issues for Stateline, a nonprofit news service in Washington, D.C. The Michigan native majored in political science at Grinnell College in Iowa and holds a master’s from the University of Iowa. There, he helped launch the nonprofit Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism, where he currently serves on the board of directors. Jim also coaches the Texas Tribune Runoffs, which, sources say, is the scrappiest coed newsroom softball team west of the Mississippi.
Past Contributions
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![State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, on July 26, 2017.]()
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Persistence pays off for rural Texans besieged by sky-high power prices
After struggling to pay sky-high power line rates for more than three years, thousands of rural Texans are set to get relief. Full Story
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![Hugh and Nancy Raney in front of a pair of fields, one currently fallow, on their farm near Big Spring in January 2016. The couple had to stop farming part of their land when running the electric pumps to get well water to the fields became too expensive.]()
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Senate gives initial OK to property tax rate elections in cities, counties
The Texas Senate endorsed a bill allowing for property tax rate elections if revenues would exceed 4 percent of what what was taken in the year before. The House is slated to take up that matter and nearly three dozen other property tax and appraisal bills. Full Story
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![State Sen. Van Taylor, R-Plano, holds 434 comments sent to him by constituents regarding large property tax increases during a Select Committee on Government Reform hearing on Saturday, July 22, 2017.]()
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Texas Senate panel targets mail-in ballot fraud after high-profile case
A bill that largely relies on increased penalties to crack down on mail-in ballot fraud is headed to the Senate floor. Its movement is a new path for lawmakers who previously focused on rare in-person voter fraud. Full Story
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Hey, Texplainer: Will Texans ever get a remedy for the state's alleged illegal redistricting?
If judges ultimately agree that Texas’ current political boundaries discriminate against minority voters, we could see new maps ahead of the 2018 elections. Judges could also impose a more consequential penalty. Full Story
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Trump administration: Trust Texas on voter education spending
Federal courts should trust Texas to properly educate voters on new ID rules ahead of the 2018 elections instead of insisting that money be spent on a marketing campaign, President Trump’s justice department argues. Full Story
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![Voters line up at an early voting station in Houston on Oct. 24, 2016. Poll workers said the lines were much longer than normal for early voting.]()
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At tail end of Texas redistricting trial, judges skeptical of state's defense
A three-judge panel peppered state lawyers with questions on Saturday that suggested they were having trouble swallowing the state’s defense of political maps that minority groups say minimize the political clout of Latino and black Texans. Full Story
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On day 5 of redistricting trial, Texas rebuts claim that current political maps discriminate
As lawyers for Texas defended the state's political maps against charges of intentional discrimination, a lawmaker at the center of the case invoked "legislative privilege" Friday to avoid answering some questions. Full Story
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![Rep. Drew Darby discusses the upcoming 83rd Texas legislative session at The Texas Tribune Festival 2012.]()
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In court, redistricting battle puts sharper focus on 2013 Legislature
As part of a weeklong trial, the state's legal foes are turning their attention to lawmakers' actions in 2013 in an effort to finally resolve years-long litigation over Texas' political maps. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol in Austin on June 20, 2017.]()
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With 2018 election looming, Texas back in court over political maps
Texas and its legal foes are back in court this week to hash out whether the state can hold the 2018 elections with its existing political maps. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
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