voter ID Archives - The Texas Tribune

Presiding judge Dina Patel, center, gives final instructions to election workers before polls open on Election Day at Parker Elementary on Nov. 5, 2024, in Houston.

Some registered voters Texas flagged as “potential noncitizens” had already shown DPS proof of citizenship

By Natalia Contreras, Votebeat and The Texas TribuneDec. 18, 2025

Texas state election officials did not initially check state records before telling counties to investigate the citizenship of 2,724 registered voters.

An election worker submits a mail-in ballot at the Harris County ballot drop-off site at NRG Stadium in Houston on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020.

Politics

Federal appeals court sides with Texas on ID requirements for voting by mail

By Alex NguyenAug. 5, 2025Aug. 6, 2025

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the state’s voter ID requirements for mail-in ballots do not violate the Civil Rights Act.

A U.S. district judge ordered the removal of Texas' ID requirements from mail-in ballot applications on Thursday, but the ruling comes weeks before the state's municipal elections, so they will remain in effect through May 3.

Politics

Federal judge strikes down Texas’ mail ballot ID requirement

Story by Dan Katz, Texas Public RadioMarch 21, 2025March 21, 2025

The judge found that the provisions of SB1, the state’s 2021 voter security law, discriminate against voters with disabilities.

Voters wait in line to cast their ballots in the 2024 general election at the Esperanza Acosta Memorial Library. Voters waited in line in upwards of two hours on Election Day.

2024 Texas Elections

Texas voter turnout falls in 2024 election despite record registration numbers

By Pooja Salhotra and Data reporting by Yuriko SchumacherNov. 6, 2024

A historic 18.6 million Texans were registered to vote in the 2024 election, and 61% cast ballots, a nearly 6% drop from the 2020 presidential race.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and other Republicans have repeatedly raised and used unsubstantiated concerns about noncitizen voting to cast doubt on the integrity of elections.

Politics

Texas sues Biden administration for not providing data on noncitizens

By Kayla GuoOct. 22, 2024

Attorney General Ken Paxton accused the federal government of failing to provide citizenship data for registered voters, even as he acknowledged that the vast majority of the people on the rolls are lawful voters.

Chase Bearden, 45, deputy executive director of The Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, poses for a portrait in his office in Austin on June 8, 2023. “Disability doesn’t discriminate,” Bearden said. “We want everybody to be able to vote independently.”

2023 Session Recap

Texas is set to improve in-person and mail-in voting for people with disabilities

By Natalia Contreras, Votebeat and The Texas TribuneJune 9, 2023

Voters with disabilities have been pushing for more accessibility for years. This legislative session two bills gained bipartisan support.

Students and faculty walk past the Peter T. Flawn Academic Center at the University of Texas at Austin while early voting takes place Oct. 25. So far, fewer Texans have voted in 2022 than in 2018, the last midterm election.

Texas 2022 Elections

“I’m in no rush”: Voter apathy takes hold of early voting ahead of Texas midterm election

By Jayme Lozano Carver, Patrick Svitek and Pooja SalhotraNov. 2, 2022

Republicans may be waiting to vote on Election Day after former President Donald Trump pushed voting in person on Nov. 8 at a rally in South Texas.

Texas 2022 Elections

Nearly 18% of registered Texas voters cast 2022 primary ballots

By Mandi Cai and Sneha DeyFeb. 14, 2022March 24, 2022

Texas has a history of a dismal turnout rate in primary elections. This year’s turnout was higher than the last six midterm primaries. Still, less than 1 in 5 registered voters participated.