voter ID

Crystal Mason spoke about being accused of voter fraud and her upcoming court case on Sept. 9 2019 in Fort Worth.

Crystal Mason's ballot was never counted. Will she still serve five years in prison for illegally voting?

by Emma Platoff and Alexa Ura

Her lawyers say if her sentence stands, it could discourage low-information voters from going to the polls at all.

Texas voters’ election qualms run high, but their reasons vary, UT/TT Poll says

Texas Democrats see voter suppression. Texas Republicans see voter fraud. According to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, Texas voters find a lot wrong with who votes in the state's elections.

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Governor Greg Abbott in the Governor’s mansion. Jan. 8, 2019.

Analysis: Greg Abbott, a song of accomplishments and an out-of-tune tweet

by Ross Ramsey

The governor is busy touting the accomplishments of the recently ended Texas legislative session while inadvertently reminding his Twitter followers of one of his administration's errors.

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Keeping an eye on voting rights and wrongs: I’m Alexa Ura, and I cover voting rights for The Texas Tribune.

by Alexa Ura

As a beat reporter, it’s my responsibility to scrutinize the state’s actions on voting rights with the context of history in mind.

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TribCast: Is the "Kumbaya" phase of the legislative session over?

by Aman Batheja and Michael Rey de Leon

On this week’s TribCast, Aman talks to Evan, Aliyya and Alexa about the teacher pay and school finance proposals circulating in the Texas Lege, the latest finger-pointing over the voter citizenship review and the pushback Beto O’Rourke might face in a Democratic presidential field.

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Voters cast their ballots in midterm elections in Houston, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018.

Federal judge directs more counties to halt voter citizenship review efforts as lawsuits proceed

by Emma Platoff

After state officials conceded that at least a quarter of a list of nearly 100,000 Texas voters flagged for citizenship review should never have been questioned, a federal judge said, "I wish all of this could've been done back as the original effort."

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to gun owners at the Republican Party of Texas convention in San Antonio on June 15, 2018.

Texas AG Ken Paxton says his office hasn't launched criminal investigations of voters flagged for citizenship review

by Emma Platoff and Alexa Ura

Some lawmakers had fretted that sending the preliminary, faulty list to the state's top prosecutor would intimidate voters.

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Texas Secretary of State David Whitley at a state Senate Committee on Nominations hearing on Feb. 7, 2019. Whitley was appointed to the job by Gov. Greg Abbott, but Whitley must first clear the committee, then win a two-thirds vote in the full Texas Senate.

Analysis: A green appointee’s harsh introduction to Texas election politics

by Ross Ramsey

Between his office's bungled efforts to find noncitizens among the state's registered voters and Democrats pouncing on state actions they believe are targeted at Hispanics and other groups, Texas Secretary of State David Whitley's confirmation is in peril.

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Oprah Winfrey with former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke at Winfrey's "SuperSoul Conversations from Times Square" at the PlayStation Theater in New York City on Feb. 5, 2019.

TribCast: Beto meets Oprah

by Emily Ramshaw and Michael Rey de Leon

On this week’s TribCast, Emily talks to Patrick, Cassi and Alexa about Beto O’Rourke’s visit with Oprah Winfrey, the latest on the lawsuits filed over Texas’ voter citizenship review, and the news out of the State of the State and the State of the Union.

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TribCast: Texas voter citizenship review, Empower Texans' Senate media pass, the 2020 congressional battlefield

by Patrick Svitek and Michael Rey de Leon

On this week’s Texas Tribune TribCast, Patrick talks to Evan, Alexa and Emma about the secretary of state questioning the citizenship of thousands of voters, the conservative group Empower Texans receiving a state Senate media credential and the early contours of the 2020 congressional battlefield in Texas.

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Plaintiffs say Texas voter ID fight is over

by Alexa Ura

In a court filing, opponents of the state's voter ID law told a federal district judge that the case was settled and that they would not pursue any other changes or remedies.

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Texas won its redistricting fight at the Supreme Court. Now it hopes to use that win to wrap up its voter ID suit.

by Alexa Ura

In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling over the state's political maps, Texas is now trying to eliminate the possibility of a return to federal oversight of its election laws as part of the case against the state's voter ID law.

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A Trump fan waits for a Donald Trump rally to begin at Gilley's in Dallas on June 16, 2016.

The Supreme Court struck down a Minnesota ban on political clothing in polling places. Texas has a similar law.

by Emma Platoff

The high court's ruling on a Minnesota state law is likely to reverberate in Texas, which has a similar law on the books. Neither state allows voters to wear political garments or accessories in their polling places.

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Federal appellate court upholds embattled Texas voter ID law

by Alexa Ura

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Texas' voter identification law, reversing a lower court ruling that found it discriminated against voters of color.

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Gov. Greg Abbott speaks with reporters after voting early in the constitutional amendment election Wednesday at the Travis County Courthouse.

Long-winding Texas voting rights litigation spotlights Gov. Greg Abbott's role

by Alexa Ura

As Texas risks a return to federal oversight of its election laws, Gov. Greg Abbott could face increased scrutiny of his role in advising on and defending redistricting maps and a voter ID law that could ultimately be struck down as discriminatory.

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Gov. Greg Abbott presents Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner with a $50 million check for Hurricane Harvey relief on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017.

Analysis: Sometimes, the political agenda in Texas sets itself

by Ross Ramsey

Between courts and scandals, football and storms, rats of the literal and figurative varieties, state leaders have lately been forced to react to outside events instead of using their offices to set their own agendas.

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The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

Federal appeals judges question challenge to revised Texas voter ID law

by Alexa Ura

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments over the state's recent revisions to its 2011 voter ID law, which federal courts have said discriminated against voters of color.

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Voters proceed in and out of the University Park Methodist Church in Dallas for the first day of early voting on Oct. 24, 2016.

Federal court says Texas can use new voter ID law for November elections

by Cassandra Pollock

The state of Texas can use its revised voter ID measure for the upcoming November elections, a divided federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.

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Campaign signs lined the edge of the Farmersville City Hall property on the first day of early voting on Oct. 24, 2016.

Trump's Justice Department wants Texas to keep invalidated voter ID law

by Jim Malewitz

Continuing a dramatic reversal on voting rights under President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Justice is asking a federal appeals court to allow Texas to enforce a photo voter identification law that a lower court found discriminatory.

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Students in line for early voting at the Willie A. Tempton Student Center at Prairie View A&M University on November 2, 2016.

Analysis: The Texas Legislature’s persistent discrimination

by Ross Ramsey

Texas lawmakers have now been popped by federal judges seven or eight times in recent years for intentionally discriminating against minority voters with voter ID and redistricting legislation. Think they’ve got a problem?

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