Texas hits record high for early voting turnout
Forty-six percent of registered voters in Texas had cast their ballots through Monday. In 2016, the percentage was 43.5% for the entire early voting period. Full Story
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![Voters wait in line at a polling site at Austin Oaks Church on Oct. 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
A week before the election, Texas National Guard prepares to deploy troops to cities
A spokesperson for the Guard said the deployment is not related to the election and troops would not be stationed at polling places. Mayors in two cities say they weren't advised of the deployment. Full Story
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![Texas National Guard troops at the State Capitol during a protest over the death of George Floyd in Austin on June 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Records show Trump’s border wall is costing taxpayers billions more than initial contracts
As the presidential election nears, a review of federal spending data found modifications to contracts have increased the price of the border wall by billions, costing about five times more per mile than it did under previous administrations. Full Story
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![From left, the existing border wall, and to the right, segments of the first border wall construction in Texas since President Trump took office, near Donna in 2019.]()
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Texas social workers will no longer be allowed to discriminate against LGBTQ Texans and people with disabilities
The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council voted unanimously to restore protections for social workers' LGBTQ and disabled clients after backlash from advocates and lawmakers. Full Story
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![Activists and members of Austin's LGBTQ community gather on the steps of the capitol to celebrate the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. These riots signify a key moment in the birth of the modern LGBT movement in America. June 28, 2017.]()
Credit: Austin Price for The Texas Tribune -
In Lubbock, pandemic fatigue sets in as hospitalizations rise
Experts and officials say people are exhausted with coronavirus restrictions and have begged them to don face coverings, socially distance and take “personal responsibility” for keeping themselves and their neighbors safe. Full Story
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![A line forms outside of Mesquites Bar and Grill in Lubbock on Oct. 17.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Polls, late campaign activity suggest Republican dominance in Texas could be at risk
With a week to go until Election Day, the race for Texas' Electoral College votes appears closer than it has been in decades. Full Story
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![Voters wait in line to at Audelia Road Branch Library on the first day of early voting in Dallas on October 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune -
Michael Bloomberg to spend $15 million on TV ads for Biden in Texas and Ohio after seeing tight polling
The move comes as some polls show the Biden-Harris ticket within striking distance — and, in some surveys, ahead — in the traditionally Republican state. Full Story
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![Democratic presidental candidate Michael Bloomberg at his rally at Central Machine Works in East Austin on Jan. 11, 2020.]()
Credit: Steve Matzker for The Texas Tribune -
Texas' ability to run accessible, efficient elections is being tested this year. Will Bexar County flunk?
While other large urban counties have aggressively pushed to expand voting options amid the pandemic, Bexar County is pursuing a more modest approach. Some critics fear the result will be an Election Day logjam disenfranchising voters of color in San Antonio. Full Story
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![Bexar County residents stand in the early morning rain outside the Julia Yates Semmes Library on Oct. 20, 2020. The library was one of 48 polling locations within the county, however, compared to other major cities, there was no indication of the wait times given to voters to plan for the shortest line.]()
Credit: B. Kay Richter for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Senate confirms Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to Supreme Court, with Texans Cornyn and Cruz in favor
U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, Republicans of Texas, both voted to confirm Barrett. Full Story
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![Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump's Nominee for Supreme Court, posed for a photo on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, on Oct. 21, 2020.]()
Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Pool via REUTERS -
As Ken Paxton battles scandal, Land Commissioner George P. Bush considering a 2022 run for attorney general
An aide said Bush has heard from “several donors” who want him to consider running. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, meanwhile, “is absolutely planning on running again,” a spokesman said. Full Story
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![George P. Bush at The Texas Tribune Festival in 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texans have until Oct. 30 to vote early in 2020 election
The last day to vote early in Texas is Oct. 30. Use The Texas Tribune's voter guide to learn more about key election dates, voting during the pandemic, mail-in voting and Texas candidates. Full Story
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Credit: Emily Albracht for The Texas Tribune -
Trey Martinez Fischer becomes second Democrat to announce run for speaker of the Texas House
The announcement from the state representative from San Antonio comes after state Rep. Senfronia Thompson filed to run for the post Friday. Democrats are hoping to gain control of the House this November. Full Story
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![State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, speaks at a press conference in reaction to a property tax reform proposal by Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. The trio laid out their proposal earlier in the day. Jan. 31, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
Michael Bloomberg gives $2.6 million to Texas Democrat running for railroad commissioner
The New York billionaire donated to Chrysta Castañeda in her bid to flip a seat on the all-GOP commission that regulates Texas' oil and gas industry. Full Story
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![Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg speaks to supporters during a campaign event at the Buffalo Soldier Museum in Houston on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Casey Jackson for The Texas Tribune -
In high-stakes Texas election, Republicans hope willingness to resume door-knocking gives them edge
Republicans say they have built a major advantage by resuming door-knocking more quickly and aggressively amid the coronavirus pandemic, while Democrats say they are being the more responsible party while reaching voters in other ways. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott joins state Rep. Angie Chen Button, R-Richardson, for a block walk on Oct. 24 in Richardson.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
In Democrats' bid to flip Texas, maximizing the Latino vote is key
Joe Biden is not faring as well among Latino voters in the polls as Hillary Clinton did in 2016. But Democrats in Texas are working to shore up Latino support. Full Story
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![Day one of early voting in El Paso at the Sunland Park Mall indoor voting site on Oct. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Democrats or Republicans could win the Texas House this year. But what if they tie?
The next speaker of the Texas House will come from the majority party, whether that’s the Republicans or the Democrats after the election. But there’s an outside chance the parties will have the same number of members. Full Story
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![The Texas House of Representatives chamber on Nov. 20, 2018.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Thousands of immigrants in Texas hope the courts or the election will save their protected status
The Trump administration ended Temporary Protective Status for immigrants from several countries, and the decision is now before the courts. Tens of thousands of TPS recipients live in Texas. Full Story
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![Small business owner Gerson Bonilla in Houston on Oct. 22, 2020. Bonilla, originally from El Salvador, runs a heating, ventilation and air conditioning business with a dozen employees including his two brothers and other family members.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
El Paso officials ask residents to stay home for two weeks as COVID-19 hospitalizations surge
"Please continue to exercise your right to vote," said El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, who announced a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. Full Story
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![A sanitizing station is set up at the entrance of the emergency room at the El Paso Children's Hospital in El Paso on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020.]()
Credit: Joel Angel Juarez for The Texas Tribune -
Kamala Harris to make campaign stop in Texas
Harris will be the highest-profile representative from the Biden campaign to visit Texas in person during the general election. Full Story
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![Democratic 2020 presidential candidate and Sen. Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at Texas Southern University on Saturday, March 23, 2019 in Houston.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Order allowing Texas counties to have multiple mail-in ballot drop off sites is upheld, but appeal halts openings
The state is continuing to fight a Travis County district court's ruling that overrode Gov. Greg Abbott's order limiting counties to one absentee ballot drop-off location. Full Story
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![The Travis County Tax Office at 5501 Airport Blvd. is now the only drive-thru location open for hand delivery of mail ballots in the county. The drop-off location photographed here on Oct. 2, 2020, will be open until Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune