The Texas Supreme Court ruled against several GOP officials who pushed to keep early voting to a two-week period during the pandemic.
Emma Platoff
Emma Platoff was a reporter at the Tribune from 2017 to 2021, most recently covering the law and its intersection with politics. A graduate of Yale University, Emma is the former managing editor of the Yale Daily News.
Posted in
Politics
As Ken Paxton faces criminal allegations, an agency at war with itself must carry on the state’s business
Top officials in the Texas attorney general’s office accused their boss of bribery and abuse of power. He called them “rogue employees.” But the work has to go on.
Posted in
Politics
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he won’t resign after accusations of criminal activity by top aides
Paxton issued a statement refusing to step down after U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a former top aide, publicly called for his resignation.
Posted in
Politics
Gov. Greg Abbott says accusations against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton “raise serious concerns”
Seven senior officials said in a letter obtained by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE that they have reason to believe Paxton should be investigated for “abuse of office, bribery and other potential criminal offenses.”
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
Voters, voting rights groups sue Gov. Greg Abbott over order to close ballot drop-off locations
In two separate federal lawsuits filed on behalf of older voters, groups including the Texas and National Leagues of United Latin American Citizens, the League of Women Voters of Texas and the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans asked that the federal courts overturn the governor’s order, which forced Travis and Harris counties — two of the state’s most important Democratic strongholds — to shutter a number of drop-off sites they had already opened this week.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
Gov. Greg Abbott limits counties to one absentee ballot drop-off location, bolstering GOP efforts to restrict voting
The Republican governor’s order Thursday was a rebuke to large, Democratic counties that have set up numerous locations where voters may drop off their completed absentee ballots in person. Civil rights groups say it will suppress voting.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
No straight-ticket voting for Texas’ 2020 election, federal appeals court says
A three-judge panel on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a 2017 state law ending the popular one-punch option — and admonished a lower court judge for trying to bring the practice back so soon before early voting starts Oct. 13.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
Federal appeals court temporarily blocks ruling that reinstated straight-ticket voting in Texas
A federal judge’s ruling temporarily reinstating the practice of one-punch voting has been put on a temporary hold as judges on the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals weigh the issue.
Posted in
Texas 2020 Elections
Houston Republicans sue to limit in-person and absentee voting options in Harris County
Conservative activist Steve Hotze and a number of Republican candidates and officials are asking the Texas Supreme Court to shorten the early voting period and limit drop-off locations for absentee ballots in the state’s largest Democratic county.
Posted in
Reopening Texas Schools
Texas Department of State Health Services withdraws data on school infections, citing “issues”
Data released this week showing reported coronavirus infection breakdowns by school district has been withdrawn by state health officials after “issues” were discovered.