Voters with disabilities have been pushing for more accessibility for years. This legislative session two bills gained bipartisan support.
Natalia Contreras
Natalia Contreras covers election administration and voting access for Votebeat in partnership with The Texas Tribune. She has covered a range of topics as a community journalist including local government, public safety, immigration and social issues. Natalia previously reported for the Austin American-Statesman, focusing on impacts of government policies on communities of color. Natalia previously worked at the Indianapolis Star, where she helped launch the first Spanish-language newsletter, and at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. She was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas in Mexico and grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is based in Corpus Christi.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Harris County elections face state intervention under new Texas voting laws
The bill’s sponsor says greater oversight is needed for Texas’ largest county as county officials have vowed to fight the legislation in court.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Texas Legislature averts $100 million consequences of 2021 law requiring nonexistent election technology
Lawmakers voted unanimously to reverse the 2021 provision that would have decertified equipment that counties use to count votes.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Texas Senate again approves increasing penalty for illegal voting to a felony, regardless of intent
The House and Senate bills had differed on whether someone should be punished for voting by mistake. Now the two chambers must reach an agreement.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Texas set to exit multistate program that cleans voter rolls
The multistate program, ERIC, is considered by election administration experts across the country to be the best tool for preventing double voting across state lines. It has been the target of conspiracy theories.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Harris County must remove its elections chief under new legislation headed to Gov. Greg Abbott
The Republican-led House also approved a bill that would give the secretary of state new authority to investigate complaints in Harris County. The Senate must review changes to that bill before it becomes law.
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Texas Legislature 2023
After a setback, a GOP effort to get Texas out of a multistate coalition to clean voter rolls could move forward
The legislation — backed by some of the state’s prominent believers in voter fraud — was unexpectedly killed by its House sponsor Tuesday. On Wednesday, he asked for it to be reconsidered.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Alan Vera, a Republican voter-fraud activist, dies at Texas Capitol
Vera, who planned to testify on election legislation, was a regular at the statehouse. Two weeks ago, lawmakers sang “Happy Birthday” to him during a House Elections Committee hearing.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Texas House advances bill to eliminate Harris County election chief position
The new law would force the county to move election duties under its clerk and tax assessor-collector, in reaction to what critics call a continued pattern of election problems.
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Texas Legislature 2023
The 13 election bills to watch as the Texas Legislature heads into its last month
Two years ago, Texas lawmakers focused all their election changes in one bill. There are dozens of proposals this year, and many stem from concerns in Harris County — the nation’s third-largest county.
