Having each House or Senate district match the others in size masks big differences in voting age populations that greatly affect politics and elections. Use our maps to explore the numbers and see how House and Senate districts compare to statewide averages.
Ryan Murphy
Ryan Murphy worked at the Tribune from 2010 to 2019. As deputy data visuals editor, he created graphics, interactive stories and data-driven features, wrangled difficult datasets and worked on tools to make development for the team more efficient. He also oversaw the design and maintenance of our large-scale explorers.
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Updated Data App: Track Texas Reservoir Levels
Texas endured the most intense drought in recorded state history in 2011, and it has yet to bounce back. Using data collected from the Texas Water Development Board’s reservoir status tracker, we are relaunching our auto-updating map that visualizes the current state of Texas reservoirs.
Posted in
Bidness As Usual
Visualization: The Lobbyist Revolving Door
Since relinquishing their seats in January, 11 former House members and one former state senator have registered as lobbyists with the Texas Ethics Commission — and several of them are working for clients in industries they regulated in the Legislature.
Posted inState Government
TWI: The Climate in Texas Political Districts
The newest Texas Weekly Index measures each of the state’s legislative and congressional districts, based on how statewide Republicans and Democrats fared in races in each district over the 2010 and 2012 election cycles.
Posted inPolitics
Interactive: Sorting Lawmakers With the Texas Weekly Index
Going by the Texas Weekly Index, which is based on the results of contested statewide elections over the 2010 and 2012 political cycles, the state’s most conservative districts are in the Panhandle. Use this interactive to see charts that illustrate the political climate of each district.
Posted inState Government
On the Records: Texas Sets Curve on Transparency Report Card
Texas received an “A” in government transparency from the nonprofit Sunlight Foundation. Texas picked up the most points for providing an easy way to collect data on filed bills during legislative sessions via a data feed.
Posted inState Government
Bill Would Allow “Message Boards” for Governmental Bodies
Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, filed a bill Thursday that would expand the Texas Open Meetings Act and allow for members of governmental bodies to communicate in an online forum and not break the law.
Posted inEconomy
Interactive Map: Poverty Estimates by County
Use our interactive to determine which Texas counties have the lowest and highest rates of poverty, broken down by race — a tool designed with data from the U.S. Census American Community Survey.
Posted inState Government
How Romney and Obama Performed by Legislative District
Mitt Romney beat Barack Obama in Texas, winning in 25 of the state’s 36 congressional districts, 20 of the state’s 31 Senate districts and 96 of its 150 House districts. These maps, based on numbers provided by the Texas Legislative Council, let you mouse over each district to see what happened there in the November general election for president.
Posted inState Government
Bill Would Double Campaign Finance Disclosures
Legislation doubling campaign finance reporting, tighting up the laws governing political action committees in Texas and adding more detail to officeholders personal financial disclosures was unveiled Monday by Rep. Chris Turner, D-Arlington.
