Texas officials preparing for elections under new congressional maps must quickly reverse course because of a federal court order blocking the use of the maps.
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.
Posted in
Congress
Voters in Texas’ 18th District waited months for an election. They’ll soon have two more.
The race to fill Texas’ long-vacant 18th Congressional District seat is headed to a runoff, just before the start of a new election cycle.
Posted in
State Government
Republican Texas secretary of state fights GOP’s closed primary lawsuit, calls Paxton filing “brazen”
Jane Nelson is fighting a lawsuit from Republicans who say Democrats and independents are voting in GOP primaries, boosting more moderate candidates.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Texas counties are looking into “potential noncitizens” on voter rolls. Here’s what they’re finding.
The voters were flagged after being checked against a federal database. Some officials question its reliability.
Posted in
2025 Texas Elections
What Texans need to know about Prop 16, the constitutional amendment on citizenship and voting
The proposed constitutional amendment would affirm that voters must be citizens, a requirement that’s already in state law.
Posted in
2025 Texas Elections
Election officials ask Texas to halt rollout of updated voter registration system
With early voting just days away, counties say they’re running out of time to get their complaints addressed.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Dallas County GOP’s push to hand-count 2026 ballots could upend voting for Democrats
The move could require a shift away from countywide polling sites and delay primary election results.
Posted in
Politics
Paxton sides with Texas GOP, against secretary of state in lawsuit seeking to close primaries
Secretary of State Jane Nelson said in a filing that Paxton’s office gave her less than an hour’s warning that they’d be siding against her agency in court.
Posted in
Politics
Texas counties struggle to process voter registrations using state’s new system
State officials push back on complaints about software problems. Meanwhile, unprocessed applications are piling up.
Posted in
Politics
Some Texas counties replace touchscreen voting machines after Trump order
Collin, Bastrop and Williamson counties say they’re proactively changing their voting procedures and equipment following a federal attempt to limit barcodes or QR codes on paper ballots.
