Join us for a weeklong virtual symposium previewing the top legislative priorities for the 2021 legislative session, including the impact of COVID-19 on the state budget and how redistricting will affect the state’s political future. Full Story
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Because Republicans in the state House and Senate held onto their 20-year majority, they are positioned to further entrench their power until the next redistricting rolls around in 2031. Full Story
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A nine-seat change in the Texas House could affect the balance of power in the Texas Capitol, but also in Congress. Texas lawmakers will draw political maps next year that could remain in place until the 2030 census. Full Story
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Texas Democrats are trying to add nine seats to their total in the Texas House, enough to regain a majority they lost almost two decades ago. But Republicans aren't idle, and they're targeting seats Democrats barely won last time. Full Story
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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
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After rejecting efforts to spend state money on outreach to help ensure an accurate census count, Republican leaders are now dipping into federal coronavirus relief funds to pay for a last-minute ad campaign. Full Story
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On this week's TribCast, Alexa talks to Matthew, Patrick and Cassi about the Biden campaign's recent activity in Texas, the fallout of a census undercount and early indications of what the legislative session might look like in a pandemic. Full Story
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The Legislature starts its next regular session in January and can meet for up to 140 days. That gives lawmakers time to consider more than 6,000 bills. During a pandemic, they might want to do a lot less. Full Story
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Under a proposal by the Trump administration, the delivery of data Texas lawmakers need to redraw political districts would be pushed to July — past the end of the state's regular legislative session. Full Story
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In what promises to be a tumultuous and competitive election year, races for the Texas House are going to be a lot more interesting than those for the Texas Senate. Full Story
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Candidates have one more week to officially declare their 2020 campaigns. In the Texas House — a key partisan battleground — as many as 31 districts, out of 150, could be competitive. Full Story
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The Texas Department of Public Safety received a request for the information earlier this month but has taken no action. Full Story
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Texas House speakers come and go. So do redistricting sessions in the Texas Legislature. And maybe — just maybe — there's a relationship between those two cycles. Full Story
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Lawmakers get jittery when it's time to redraw their political maps, and the exercise is based on a mix of power, party, clout, tenure — and trust. That last one is a fleeting quality in the Texas House right now. Full Story
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In a state with a long history of discrimination, lawmakers on Tuesday will kick off the 2021 round of political mapmaking — the first in nearly half a century without federal oversight. Full Story
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After multiple court findings that Texas intentionally discriminated in drawing political maps and writing election laws, a panel of federal judges says the state won't be subjected to federal oversight under the Voting Rights Act. Full Story
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We want you to help us report on the challenges Texans face when trying to vote — and the possible ways to address them. Share your experiences with us. Full Story
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The panel ruled that such an action wasn't warranted, though it previously ruled that state lawmakers discriminated against voters of color when they first drew new maps in 2011. Full Story
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The top races are more exciting and will get more attention, but the Texas trophy in the 2020 election will go to the party that wins control of the state's House of Representatives. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court threw the inclusion of a citizenship question on the census in doubt, but another legal challenge with Texas ties could bring an end to the controversy. Full Story