TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE

The deadline to register for the 2022 Texas midterm elections is looming, and last year's redistricting has scrambled the political landscape.

The Democratic runoff for congressional District 15 turned into a nail-biter late Tuesday night, with the progressive candidate leading the moderate by 23 votes as of deadline.

Unofficial election night results point to Dan McQueen winning Republican nomination for U.S. Congressional District 35 over Michael Rodriguez

Waiting for final results from Houston and Harris County has become an unwelcome Texas political ritual. The county’s sheer size is part of the problem, but so is party squabbling over counting procedures.

Just six percent of registered voters in Hays County cast their ballots early for the May 7 election, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

In just 16 of the state’s largest counties, more than 18,000 mail-in ballots were rejected, most for failing to meet the new law’s ID requirements. A full statewide tally isn’t yet available.

How many voters were effectively disenfranchised by new ID requirements for mail-in voting won’t be known for another week. Voters can still try to correct defective ballots.

In Hidalgo County, Lamantia earned 4,754 votes, or 49.37%, over Stapleton-Barrera, Alex Dominguez and Salomon Torres. Dominguez earned 1,711 votes in Hidalgo County, or 17.77%, while Stapleton-Barrera earned 2,365 votes and Torres earned 800 votes. In the Republican race for State Senate District 27, Adam Hinojosa earned 51.53% of the vote with 12,748 votes to Raul Torres’ 5,419 and Isreal Salinas’ 2,177. The Republican ticket for State Senate District 20 saw ​​Westley Wright with a commanding lead over Johnny Partain with 74.45% of the vote, 10,413 votes to 3,701. In Hidalgo County, Wright took 4,484 total votes over Partain’s 2,512 votes.

Flavorful bacon end strips are the secret weapon in this rich weeknight pasta.

Get The Texas Tribune’s coverage of election results for the 2022 primary races for governor, attorney general, U.S. House and the Texas Legislature.

Election day for the Democratic and Republican primaries is Tuesday.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

There are only three days left to vote early in the Democratic and Republican primaries.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Patrick’s mass mailing urging voters to apply for mail-in ballots included return envelopes addressed to the Texas secretary of state’s office. The applications are supposed to be sent to local offices, but Patrick’s campaign says voters don’t trust election officials in Democratic counties.

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.

With less than a month left to vote by mail in the March primary election, hundreds of applications for mail-in ballots are being rejected as both Texas voters and local election officials decipher new ID requirements enacted by Republican lawmakers.

The Texas Secretary of State's Office is reportedly limiting the number of voter registration forms given to advocacy groups due to supply chain issues.

The last day to register to vote was Jan. 31. The last day to apply for a ballot by mail is Feb. 18. Early voting runs from Feb. 14-25.

Texas Republicans last year enacted new identification requirements for voting by mail as part of sweeping legislation that further restricted the state’s voting process and narrowed local control of elections.

An initial review of four counties’ election results — launched after pressure from former President Donald Trump and touted by GOP leaders — showed few discrepancies between electronic and hand counts of ballots in a sample of voting precincts.

The secretary of state’s office says it is following the legal settlement agreement it entered in 2019 after botching its first review effort. But scores of citizens are still being marked for citizenship verification — and possible removal from the rolls.

The Secretary of State's office explained how the next Pct. 3 commissioner will be elected.

Blame it on La Niña.By the end of November, nearly half the state was experiencing drought conditions, up 25 percentage points from the end of October, according to Dr.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Cameron County Elections Administrator Remi Garza has mailed letters to registered voters in the county asking that they verify their citizenship. According to the letter, Garza states he has been contacted by the Texas Secretary of State’s Office that reflects the voter might not be a U.S. citizen. The letter states that although you can get a driver’s license and personal identification card as a non-United States citizen, only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote. Voters who received the letter are required to provide proof of citizenship 30 days from the receipt of the letter. The first batch of letters were mailed out on Sept. 27 and a second batch was mailed out on Nov. 15, Garza said.

John Scott briefly represented Donald Trump's legal effort to challenge the election results in Pennsylvania. In an interview, he said there’s no question that Joe Biden is the president and he has “not seen anything” to suggest the election was stolen.

As secretary of state, Fort Worth attorney John Scott would oversee election administration in Texas.

The state agency last week announced a “full forensic audit” in Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties. But based on details released Tuesday, it appears the scope of the effort may be more limited than what the term may suggest.

Officials in some counties targeted by audits accuse Republican Texas leaders of pandering to conspiracy theorists and undermining faith in elections. They also say the secretary of state’s office hasn’t provided details on what the audits entail.

The bill, approved by the Senate and never considered by the House, would have allowed state and local party chairs to file requests to launch audits, but Republicans say the legislation would not have spawned a debacle akin to the controversial review underway in Arizona.

The Senate Nominations Committee never took up Hughs’ nomination, requiring her to leave office at the end of the legislative session.

We understand documenting that you’ve voted is important to a lot of people — especially when you get that “I Voted” sticker. You should be proud of yourself for casting your vote, but know that there are strict rules in some places when it comes to taking pictures at polling places. Here in Texas, we have some of the stricter restrictions concerning photos while voting, according to the Texas Secretary of State website. And if you’re thinking of going old school and taking an actual camera, the same restrictions apply there. When in doubt, just wait until you’re back in your car to snap that “I Voted” sticker selfie.