Voting

Part of the platform from the recent Texas Republican Party convention opposes using race, origin, creed, sexuality, or lifestyle choices to create voting districts. So, the platform urges repealing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Mimi Marziani doubts Congress would do it or that Texans overall would favor such a move. But the president of the Texas Civil Rights Project admits efforts to chip away at the Act have worked.

A commission redrawing city council lines in Dallas approved new boundaries on Tuesday, leaving current districts largely intact and white residents overrepresented.

In Cities like Grapevine, Southlake and Wylie, candidates are running without any challengers.

Monday, April 25, is the deadline to register to vote for upcoming state primary runoff elections in Texas. Voters in the Republican and Democratic primaries will decide who wins their nominations for state and county offices and appear on the ballot in November.

Dallas County commissioners voted to close almost 40 voting locations for elections next month to deal with an ongoing shortage of workers. That shortage led to problems for people trying to cast ballots in the statewide primary.

Gladys Ivy waited four hours to vote in last month’s primary election on March 1. The day was hot, and she had errands to run, but Ivy stayed put.

According to the state, 12.87% of Democratic mail-in ballots were rejected, and 11.77% of Republican ballots were rejected.

As Texas defends against accusations that its new political maps are discriminatory, it’s laying the groundwork to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out longstanding Voting Rights Act protections.

The past election was the first since Texas' controversial new voting law was in effect.

Tuesday is the first statewide election in Texas since it enacted a sweeping new voting law. Some elections officials say the law has left voters unsure how and if they will be able to participate.

Winter weather caused disruptions at polling places earlier in the week.

County officials say requirements that have tripped up voters applying to vote by mail could also confuse them as they send their ballots back.