The summer fight over voting and election law has been fierce. It may well be a prologue to a bigger battle just ahead: redrawing the state’s political maps.
Demographics
Explore population trends, diversity, and data shaping Texas communities, politics, and policy.
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Demographics
Extended unemployment benefits for jobless Texans will end in September, state agency says
The Texas Workforce Commission announced that the U.S. Department of Labor notified the commission that the state’s unemployment rate fell below the threshold needed to continue the benefits.
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Texas Legislature 2021
“I wanted to teach differently than I had been taught”: How some Texas educators practice anti-racist teaching
Conservative lawmakers denounce critical race theory and say it facilitates racism. Some teachers say it actually informs their efforts to counter racism in the curriculum and classroom, even though they don’t teach it directly to students.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas House committee again passes the voting restrictions bill that instigated Democratic quorum break
Senate Bill 1 would outlaw local efforts to make it easier to vote, ratchet up vote-by-mail rules and bolster protections for partisan poll watchers. The Senate already passed the legislation, but a House panel Monday replaced that with the lower chamber’s version of the bill.
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Demographics
Texas can ban common abortion procedure in second trimester, appeals court rules
The ruling is yet another blow to reproductive rights advocates after Texas passed a law this year that goes into effect Sept. 1 banning abortions as early as six weeks. That law is also currently being challenged in court.
Posted inDemographics
Texas’ controversial new social studies law prompts McKinney school officials to cancel Youth and Government class
One of the Republican authors of the so-called critical race theory bill said the district is misinterpreting the new law’s ban on political activism. A school official called the language “vague.”
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Texas Legislature 2021
Analysis: Texas government grinds to a stop — of the governor’s choosing
It’s happening slowly, but during the Texas government’s long summer, with legislative walkouts, fights over voting rights, and new battles over what’s safe and what’s not, Gov. Greg Abbott is mostly getting his way.
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Redistricting Texas
People of color make up 95% of Texas’ population growth, and cities and suburbs are booming, 2020 census shows
The state’s Hispanic population is now nearly as large as the non-Hispanic white population, with Texas gaining nearly 11 Hispanic residents for every additional white resident since 2010. Those trends set up a pitched battle for political control when state lawmakers redraw legislative districts.
Posted inDemographics
“How are we different than other kids?”: A transgender student wrestler fights legislative efforts to restrict participation in school sports
If passed, Texas’ anti-transgender legislation will require student athletes to play on school sports teams that don’t align with their gender identity.
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The 2021 Texas Tribune Festival
T-Squared: With COVID cases and hospitalizations climbing, The Texas Tribune Festival will be all-virtual after all
We’d hoped to present some programs in person, but the health and well-being of our attendees, speakers and staff is top of mind. The good news is that we can stream the same smart conversations online, where they can be viewed conveniently, comfortably and safely.