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.
Alexa Ura
Alexa Ura reported for The Texas Tribune from 2013 to 2023. She covered the complex dynamics of race, ethnicity, wealth, poverty and power and how they are shaping the future of Texas and Texans, in the long and short term. Alexa started at the Tribune as a reporting intern before graduating from the University of Texas at Austin and joining the staff full time. Originally from Laredo on the Texas-Mexico border, she is a native Spanish speaker and is based in Austin.
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TribCast
TribCast: Masks for businesses, reopening schools and pandemic voting
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.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Coronavirus fears postponed a Texas election. Now it will go forward with even greater risk for some voters.
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.
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TribCast
TribCast: COVID-19 record highs, foster children in harm’s way and a victory for LGBTQ workers
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.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas A&M announces more online offerings, classroom capacity caps and daily cleaning schedules for fall return
The university announced the latest changes Tuesday to accommodate students returning in the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Politics
Texas Democrats ask U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on voting by mail
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.
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TribCast
TribCast: Racism and the Texas GOP and reform after George Floyd’s death
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.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Plaintiffs fold hand in Texas state court lawsuit seeking expansion of voting by mail during coronavirus
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.
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Police brutality in Texas
In George Floyd-inspired protests, Texas organizers find new allies in quest for police reforms
“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.”
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Texas 2020 Elections
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.