WEATHER ALERT
Texas tells U.S. Justice Department that federal election monitors aren’t allowed in polling places
Read full article: Texas tells U.S. Justice Department that federal election monitors aren’t allowed in polling placesTexas’ top elections official said Friday that federal inspectors can’t be inside polls or places where ballots are counted under Texas law after the DOJ announced plans to send monitors to the state.
Texas Latino leaders label voter fraud investigation “nonsense,” call for federal, state reviews
Read full article: Texas Latino leaders label voter fraud investigation “nonsense,” call for federal, state reviewsAt a news conference, Texas House candidate Cecilia Castellano did not address any of the allegations Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office laid out in search warrant affidavits.
Voting Rights Act doesn’t protect coalitions of racial or ethnic groups challenging political maps, appeals court rules
Read full article: Voting Rights Act doesn’t protect coalitions of racial or ethnic groups challenging political maps, appeals court rulesIn a lawsuit challenging redistricting in Galveston County, the 5th Circuit said the protections afforded to a single racial group don’t apply to multiple groups who collectively claim voting rights violations.
Galveston County redistricting case draws divide among federal appeals court judges
Read full article: Galveston County redistricting case draws divide among federal appeals court judgesThe 5th Circuit expressed skepticism about arguments from both sides in considering whether a coalition of Black and Latino voters should be granted the same protections as a single racial group under the Voting Rights Act.
Lawsuits under New York's new voting rights law reveal racial disenfranchisement even in blue states
Read full article: Lawsuits under New York's new voting rights law reveal racial disenfranchisement even in blue statesA new voting rights law in New York is already having a dramatic effect, with lawsuits in several local communities seeking to reverse decades of minority voter disenfranchisement.
About 40% of Texas election administrators leave their job each presidential election cycle, report finds
Read full article: About 40% of Texas election administrators leave their job each presidential election cycle, report findsTexas’ turnover rate has held steady at 40% since 2014. That’s slightly above the new national average.
Louisiana granted extra time to draw new congressional map that complies with Voting Rights Act
Read full article: Louisiana granted extra time to draw new congressional map that complies with Voting Rights ActLouisiana lawmakers now have until the end of January to draw and pass new congressional boundaries to replace the current map that a federal judge says dilutes the power of the state’s Black voters.
Judge rules Galveston County must redraw 2021 redistricting map which violates Voting Rights Act
Read full article: Judge rules Galveston County must redraw 2021 redistricting map which violates Voting Rights ActA judge ruled on Friday that Galveston County must redraw its 2021 redistricting map because it violates the Voting Rights Act and United States Constitution, according to a news release from the Texas Civil Rights Project.
Federal judge rules Galveston County commissioner maps violate Voting Rights Act
Read full article: Federal judge rules Galveston County commissioner maps violate Voting Rights ActJudge Jeffrey V. Brown, a Trump appointee, found the county districts denied Black and Latino voters “the equal opportunity to participate in the political process.”
Judges aiming to give Black voters more influence in Alabama set to redraw congressional districts
Read full article: Judges aiming to give Black voters more influence in Alabama set to redraw congressional districtsA federal judge says the court will swiftly adopt new congressional map for Alabama after ruling the state should have a second district with a substantial percentage of Black voters.
LBJ's daughter Luci watched him sign voting rights bill, then cried when Supreme Court weakened it
Read full article: LBJ's daughter Luci watched him sign voting rights bill, then cried when Supreme Court weakened itLuci Baines Johnson watched her father, President Lyndon Johnson, sign the Voting Rights Act in 1965, and she recalls asking him why the ceremony was in the U.S. Capitol instead of the White House.
Eliminating countywide voting in Texas would make the process harder on voters, cost more money, election leaders say
Read full article: Eliminating countywide voting in Texas would make the process harder on voters, cost more money, election leaders sayCurrently, more than 80% of Texas voters can vote anywhere in their home county, a model that originated in Lubbock County. If lawmakers approve new legislation, that would change.
Houston’s at-large City Council districts deprive Latinos of fair representation, lawsuit alleges
Read full article: Houston’s at-large City Council districts deprive Latinos of fair representation, lawsuit allegesThe League of United Latin American Citizens sued the city Monday, asking a federal court to halt its practice of electing five of its 16 council members through at-large elections.
Federal judge tells Beaumont election officials not to harass or discriminate against Black voters
Read full article: Federal judge tells Beaumont election officials not to harass or discriminate against Black votersClaims of misconduct during early voting were raised in a federal lawsuit filed Monday by the Beaumont chapter of the NAACP, accusing election workers of scrutinizing Black voters’ identities and shadowing them while at voting stations
Justice Department to monitor polls in 24 States for compliance with federal voting rights laws
Read full article: Justice Department to monitor polls in 24 States for compliance with federal voting rights lawsThe Justice Department announced Monday its plans to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in 64 jurisdictions in 24 states for the Nov. 8 general election.
Texans make the case for why voting matters
Read full article: Texans make the case for why voting mattersThe Texas Tribune spoke to Texans across the political spectrum and asked them to make their case for why voting matters this year. The deadline to register to vote was Oct. 11. Early voting runs from Oct. 24 to Nov. 4.
Supreme Court's top cases for new term, new Justice Jackson
Read full article: Supreme Court's top cases for new term, new Justice JacksonThe Supreme Court opens its new term on Monday and will hear arguments for the first time after a summer break and with new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson among its nine members.
Disabled voters win in Wisconsin; legal fights elsewhere
Read full article: Disabled voters win in Wisconsin; legal fights elsewhereWisconsin voters with disabilities are celebrating a win after a federal judge, citing the Voting Rights Act, ruled that they may get assistance returning their ballots.
Order for Louisiana to redraw US House districts put on hold
Read full article: Order for Louisiana to redraw US House districts put on holdA federal appeals court has put on hold a district judge’s order for Louisiana to redraw U.S. House districts by June 20 to include a second majority Black district.
“Unwinnable race”: State Sen. Beverly Powell of Burleson ends reelection bid, citing redrawn political map
Read full article: “Unwinnable race”: State Sen. Beverly Powell of Burleson ends reelection bid, citing redrawn political mapPowell, a Democrat, had won Senate District 10 by winning over a coalition of diverse voters in Tarrant County. The GOP redrew the district to branch out to counties to the south and west that made it more rural and more white.
DOJ files voting rights lawsuit against Galveston County to challenge its redistricting plan
Read full article: DOJ files voting rights lawsuit against Galveston County to challenge its redistricting planThe U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit under the Voting Rights Act against Galveston County in efforts to challenge the county’s redistricting plan.
Analysis: When 1 in 8 Texas mail ballots gets trashed, that’s vote suppression
Read full article: Analysis: When 1 in 8 Texas mail ballots gets trashed, that’s vote suppressionNearly 23,000 Texans voted in this month’s party primaries and saw their mail ballots rejected by election officials, evidently an aftershock from new state laws that were supposed to make voting easier and more secure.
Analysis: The 3% of Texans deciding who governs the other 97%
Read full article: Analysis: The 3% of Texans deciding who governs the other 97%Most Texas voters skip the primary elections, leaving many of the decisions about who serves in office to a relatively small group of Texas — voters who have more clout as a result.
On voting rights, Biden's power to act on his own is limited
Read full article: On voting rights, Biden's power to act on his own is limitedWith the November elections creeping up and Republicans imposing new restrictions on ballot access, President Biden has no easy options for safeguarding voting rights despite rising pressure from frustrated activists.
Watch live: Harris County attorney speaks on lawsuit challenging controversial Texas’ voting bill, SB1.
Read full article: Watch live: Harris County attorney speaks on lawsuit challenging controversial Texas’ voting bill, SB1.Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee will hold a press conference Friday afternoon to give an update on the preliminary injunction hearing in lawsuit challenging Texas’ voting bill, Senate Bill 1.
High court's Alabama ruling sparks alarm over voting rights
Read full article: High court's Alabama ruling sparks alarm over voting rightsThe Supreme Court’s decision to halt efforts to create a second mostly Black congressional district in Alabama for the 2022 election has sparked fresh warnings that the court is eroding the Voting Rights Act and reviving the need for Congress to intervene.
Texas violated voting rights law during redistricting, retiring state GOP senator says in sworn court statement
Read full article: Texas violated voting rights law during redistricting, retiring state GOP senator says in sworn court statementA three-judge federal panel is hearing arguments in a lawsuit claiming that Texas Republicans violated the Voting Rights Act when they redrew state Senate District 10 in Tarrant County to lessen Black and Hispanic voting power.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee demands homes for disabled, elderly residents be assessed for Hurricane Harvey storm damage
Read full article: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee demands homes for disabled, elderly residents be assessed for Hurricane Harvey storm damageIt’s been five years since Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area, causing property damage and even the loss of human life.
Analysis: If you can’t beat ’em, change the rules
Read full article: Analysis: If you can’t beat ’em, change the rulesHere’s something Democrats and Republicans have in common: When lawmakers are deadlocked, leaders turn to the rulebooks, searching for angles and rule changes that would turn things their way.
Analysis: A Texas election in the shade of government’s third branch
Read full article: Analysis: A Texas election in the shade of government’s third branchChallenges to new Texas laws on voting, political districts and abortion are all pending in court, as is the state’s challenge to federal vaccine mandates. But until the courts rule, those laws remain in place — and they provide political fodder for the incumbents who support them.
Justice Department sues Texas over new redistricting maps
Read full article: Justice Department sues Texas over new redistricting mapsThe Justice Department has sued Texas over its new redistricting maps, saying the plans discriminate against minority voters, particularly Latinos, who have fueled the state’s population boom.
U.S. Department of Justice files suit against Texas over voting law saying SB 1 improperly restricts, harms voters
Read full article: U.S. Department of Justice files suit against Texas over voting law saying SB 1 improperly restricts, harms votersThe U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit against the State of Texas and the Texas Secretary of State over voting procedures it deems restrictive that have been put into place by Texas Senate Bill 1, which was signed into law in September 2021.
Justice Department sues Texas over new voting law, targeting restrictions on mail-in ballots and voter assistance
Read full article: Justice Department sues Texas over new voting law, targeting restrictions on mail-in ballots and voter assistanceThe elderly, voters with disabilities and voters with limited English proficiency risk disenfranchisement under sweeping legislation Texas Republicans pushed through earlier this year, the justice department argues in its legal challenge to Senate Bill 1.
U.S. Senate Republicans block federal voting rights legislation that would override Texas’ restrictions
Read full article: U.S. Senate Republicans block federal voting rights legislation that would override Texas’ restrictionsIn their latest push to lift state-level voting restrictions, Senate Democrats failed to secure the 60 votes required to break a filibuster on the Freedom to Vote Act.
After Texas and other states passed new voting restrictions, federal bills could expand ballot access. Here’s what you need to know.
Read full article: After Texas and other states passed new voting restrictions, federal bills could expand ballot access. Here’s what you need to know.The U.S. Senate is expected to vote this week on the Freedom to Vote Act, which would supersede some of Texas’ new elections law.
Lawmakers send to Gov. Greg Abbott new political maps that would further solidify the GOP’s grip on the Texas Legislature
Read full article: Lawmakers send to Gov. Greg Abbott new political maps that would further solidify the GOP’s grip on the Texas LegislatureThe redistricting plans for the House, Senate and State Board of Education were approved Friday.
Analysis: The 2022 general election is a year away, but many of the issues are already evident
Read full article: Analysis: The 2022 general election is a year away, but many of the issues are already evidentCandidates for the 2022 elections are still popping up, but many of that election’s major issues are already being debated.
New Texas voting laws, political maps could once again require federal approval under U.S. House bill named after John Lewis
Read full article: New Texas voting laws, political maps could once again require federal approval under U.S. House bill named after John LewisThe federal bill seeks to reinstate sections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that were written to protect people of color. Texas House Democrats see it as a way to prevent implementing provisions of a Texas voting restrictions bill moving through the state Legislature.
Watch live: Texas House Democrats discuss voting legislation
Read full article: Watch live: Texas House Democrats discuss voting legislationThree Texas House Democrats testified before a congressional committee on their efforts to thwart voting restrictions — and were met with heat from their Republican counterparts.
Sen. Joe Manchin, key Democratic holdout on federal voting protections, coming to Texas for fundraiser hosted by several GOP donors
Read full article: Sen. Joe Manchin, key Democratic holdout on federal voting protections, coming to Texas for fundraiser hosted by several GOP donorsThe fundraiser comes just a day after Manchin met with Texas House Democrats on Capitol Hill who are desperate for his support of the congressional efforts which could preempt the statewide GOP’s push to pass bills that would restrict voting access for Texans.
Behind the partisan drama lies a profoundly serious struggle over who gets shut out under Texas voting laws
Read full article: Behind the partisan drama lies a profoundly serious struggle over who gets shut out under Texas voting lawsWhose voices will be heard in Texas halls of power? That question beats at the heart of the Democratic quorum break that has brought the Legislature to a halt and focused national attention on GOP efforts to make voting in Texas harder.
Democrats fear Texas Republicans will push even harder in second bid to pass new voting restrictions
Read full article: Democrats fear Texas Republicans will push even harder in second bid to pass new voting restrictionsAs the Legislature's special session dawns, political developments have raised the stakes for how far Republicans might go in enacting new voting restrictions, and how they might impact voters of color.
Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz join fellow Republicans to block Democrats’ federal elections overhaul
Read full article: Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz join fellow Republicans to block Democrats’ federal elections overhaulWhile a majority of the Democratic-controlled Senate backed the bill, enough Republicans banded together to use the filibuster to block the bill from receiving an up-or-down vote.
Texas House set to consider GOP priority voting bill after sweeping changes made behind closed doors
Read full article: Texas House set to consider GOP priority voting bill after sweeping changes made behind closed doorsThe legislation, approved by the Senate Sunday morning after an all-night debate, touches all facets of voting in Texas.
Analysis: Texas lawmakers might get a second life for dying bills
Read full article: Analysis: Texas lawmakers might get a second life for dying billsAs the end of the regular session approaches, Texas lawmakers — and some of their bills — are running out of time. But there's a special session coming later this year, and maybe — just maybe — another chance for dead legislation.
Supreme Court could put new limits on voting rights lawsuits
Read full article: Supreme Court could put new limits on voting rights lawsuitsEight years after carving the heart out of a landmark voting rights law, the Supreme Court is looking at putting new limits on efforts to combat racial discrimination in voting. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)WASHINGTON – Eight years after carving the heart out of a landmark voting rights law, the Supreme Court is looking at putting new limits on efforts to combat racial discrimination in voting. “It cannot rely simply on the past.”AdDemocrats in Congress will try again to revive the advance approval provision of the voting rights law. AdNearly 75 businesses, including PayPal, Levi Strauss and Impossible Foods, joined in a brief urging the court to “fully preserve the Voting Rights Act." The Justice Department will not be part of Tuesday’s arguments, a rarity in a voting rights case.
‘Modern-day voter suppression’: Advocates, officials call on Abbott to rescind order limiting ballot drop-off sites
Read full article: ‘Modern-day voter suppression’: Advocates, officials call on Abbott to rescind order limiting ballot drop-off sitesGreg Abbott to rescind the order he issued last week that limits the number of mail-in ballot drop-off sites to one per county. Abbott said Thursday that his order is meant to strengthen voting security and prevent illegal voting attempts during the coronavirus pandemic. Most people who spoke at Monday’s news conference highlighted the sheer size of Harris County when making the case against reducing the number of drop-off sites in the county from 12 to one. Max Miller Jr., leader of the ministers' association, called Abbott’s order “crooked” and “modern-day voter suppression,” saying that Abbott knows his order is directed at the Black community. Limiting the number of drop-off sites available to absentee voters reduces the options Texans have to participate in the 2020 election without risking their health,” Drazin continued.
Supreme Court to review Arizona 'ballot harvesting' law
Read full article: Supreme Court to review Arizona 'ballot harvesting' lawWASHINGTON – The Supreme Court said Friday it will review a 2016 Arizona law that bars anyone but a family member or caregiver from returning another person’s early ballot. In the Arizona case, a federal appeals court ruled in January that Arizona's law banning so-called “ballot harvesting” violates the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution, but the court put its ruling on hold while the Supreme Court was asked to take the case. The court said both have a discriminatory impact on minority voters in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The high court in recent years has weakened the Voting Rights Act, throwing out the most powerful part of the landmark law in 2013. The Supreme Court has already filled its argument calendar through December, so none of the cases will be argued before January 2021.
Election chaos renews focus on gutted Voting Rights Act
Read full article: Election chaos renews focus on gutted Voting Rights ActNothing more and nothing less.But the meltdown was also a manifestation of a landmark Supreme Court case that gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. Conservatives are trying to use an Arizona case over absentee voting to further weaken the Voting Rights Act. Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has called for restoring the Voting Rights Act, but he has not released detailed proposals. A White House spokesman declined to comment when asked whether Trump might ever pursue a Voting Rights Act update. The previous requirements were a key voting rights tool because it turned a usual legal principle on its head.
How a decade of voting rights fights led to fewer redistricting safeguards for Texas voters of color
Read full article: How a decade of voting rights fights led to fewer redistricting safeguards for Texas voters of colorIn 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.