Texas has added 1.8 million registered voters. Where they are shows how the state has become more competitive.
Most of the new voters registered in the state's fast-growing urban counties or suburbs. Full Story
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![Some voters waited for more than three hours to cast their ballot at a shopping center in South Austin on the first day of e…]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
In Lubbock, pandemic fatigue sets in as hospitalizations rise
Experts and officials say people are exhausted with coronavirus restrictions and have begged them to don face coverings, socially distance and take “personal responsibility” for keeping themselves and their neighbors safe. Full Story
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![A line forms outside of Mesquites Bar and Grill in Lubbock on Oct. 17.]()
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In Democrats' bid to flip Texas, maximizing the Latino vote is key
Joe Biden is not faring as well among Latino voters in the polls as Hillary Clinton did in 2016. But Democrats in Texas are working to shore up Latino support. Full Story
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![Day one of early voting in El Paso at the Sunland Park Mall indoor voting site on Oct. 13, 2020.]()
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Texas’ massive early voting numbers have persisted, leading to predictions of overall turnout unseen in years
Experts are predicting that as many as 12 million people could vote in Texas this year. Full Story
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![Voters wait in line to cast their ballots at the Sunland Park Mall in El Paso on the first day of early voting in Texas on O…]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Why Asian American voters in Texas may hold outsized importance in key races this year
Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial or ethnic voting group in the country, according to the Pew Research Center. And in Texas, there are sizable Asian American communities in key districts. Full Story
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![Sri Preston Kulkarni speaks to his supporters in Sugar Land after losing to Pete Olson in a race for Texas' 22nd Congressio…]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
The census doesn’t count Arab Americans. That leaves some Texans feeling invisible.
The census does not include an option for people to identify as Middle Eastern or North African Americans. That leaves Arab Texans to identify as white or “other” on the all-important national count. Full Story
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![Janet Abou-Elias, vice president of the University of Texas at Austin Arab Student Association, outside the Moody College of…]()
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Coronavirus hospitalizations are up in Texas as some fear the state is headed toward another surge
Experts blame social gatherings like birthday parties and football games for the recent upticks. They say there is widespread fatigue for following stringent guidelines to wear masks, practice social distancing and avoid crowded indoor spaces. Full Story
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![A drive-thru testing location for COVID-19 at El Paso Children’s Hospital.]()
Credit: Emily Kinskey for The Texas Tribune -
Texas State University pauses diversity training after Trump executive order threatens federal funding
Trump’s executive order, signed on Sept. 22, requires federal contractors and agencies that receive federal grants to discontinue training that contains “any form of race or sex stereotyping” and other “divisive concepts,” which could include discussions of the existence of white supremacy. Full Story
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![Two students sit under a sign encouraging students to wear a mask on the first day of classes for the fall semester at Texas…]()
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Sharp partisan and racial differences mark Texan voters’ view of police, UT/TT Poll finds
With some political campaigns embracing law enforcement in Texas, the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll found two things to be true: Most voters don't want to decrease funding for police, and almost all voters feel safe where they live. Full Story
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![State police in riot gear block protesters from gathering in the street in downtown Austin on Aug. 1, 2020.]()
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Supreme Court says Trump administration can shut down census count now, despite fears of an undercount
Plaintiffs in the case contend that a shortened timeline would result in an undercount of harder-to-count populations, including immigrants, people of color and lower-income groups, depriving them of funding and representation. Full Story
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![A protester holds a sign outside the U.S. Supreme Court where the court ruled that U.S. President Donald Trump's administrat…]()
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Monica Roberts, a pioneering transgender activist and journalist from Houston, dies at 58
Roberts documented the violence against her community long before it gained mainstream attention. Full Story
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![Transgender activist and journalist
Monica Roberts.]()
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Biden campaign to spend $6 million on Texas campaign ads, more than any Democratic presidential nominee in decades
The Biden ad buy as comes as The Lincoln Project, the group led by former Republican strategists working to defeat Trump, launched a $1 million digital ad campaign in the state. Full Story
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![Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden spoke during a campaign stop in Dallas in March.]()
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The U.S. census will continue through October, paving the way for more Texans to be counted
Experts say the extension could help the historically undercounted state regain lost ground. Texans are already responding to the census at a substantially lower rate than the national average. Full Story
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![United States Census 2020 mailers sent to Austin. Photographed on June 23, 2020.]()
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Federal judge blocks Trump administration from stopping census count next week
A federal judge in California late Thursday ordered that the census count should continue until Oct. 31, the date the Census Bureau had planned on before the administration abruptly shortened the count. Full Story
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![Crowds march through Austin in celebration of Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 20, 2020.]()
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Watch Stacey Abrams discuss voting rights, the census and more at The Texas Tribune Festival
The voting rights activist talked about increasing turnout, battling suppression, why a complete census count is so critical and her future plans. Full Story
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![Stacy Abrams, former Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Georgia, at the 2019 National Action Network National Convention…]()
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New voter registrations plummeted during the pandemic in Texas, where you can’t register online
Groups on both sides of the aisle say it's harder to register voters when you can't go door to door and big public events are canceled. Registration was down 24% in the first seven months of this year, compared with the same period in 2016. Full Story
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![MOVE Texas and the Spurs collaborated on a voter registration event at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on Sept. 15, 2020.]()
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Watch Nikole Hannah-Jones and Wesley Lowery on the 1619 Project and more at The Texas Tribune Festival
Hannah-Jones, a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, and Lowery, a correspondent for 60 Minutes' "60 in 6," also discussed racial disparities during the pandemic and the fight for a true democracy. Full Story
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![Nikole Hannah-Jones spoke with Errin Haines during a one-on-one panel at The Texas Tribune Festival at The Paramount Theatre…]()
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Federal court blocks Trump effort to exclude undocumented immigrants when congressional seats are divvied up
Trump's bid to exclude undocumented immigrants from population counts for redistricting could cost Texas three seats in Congress. Thursday's ruling could still be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Full Story
![A protester holds a sign outside the U.S. Supreme Court where the court ruled that U.S. President Donald Trump's administrat…]()
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“My story does resonate”: Candace Valenzuela wants to flip a Republican seat and become the first Black Latina in Congress
Valenzuela is running for a North Texas seat long held by Republicans. But the shifting political winds in the suburbs are giving Democrats hope. Full Story
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![Candace Valenzuela, candidate for Texas' 24th Congressional District, outside her home in Dallas.]()
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Texans with developmental disabilities in state homes still don’t have visitors. Their parents worry they don’t know why.
Across Texas, families with loved ones in state supported living centers are desperate for in-person visits after months have ticked by with coronavirus restrictions in place. Full Story
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![Stephanie Kirby holds a photo of her son, Petre Kirby, outside of the Denton State Supported Living Center, where her son is…]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune