43 states have online voter registration. Why not Texas?
Online voter registration in Texas would not favor one party over the other, and we analyzed the data to back it up.
Democracy
Maine’s voter ID proposal is a poll tax in disguise
In November, voters in Maine will face a decision that will reshape how the state conducts its elections. A partisan effort to promote a voter ID ballot initiative has garnered 170,000 signatures, thrusting Maine into a national debate that has intensified over the past decade. As one of just fourteen states that don’t require voter … Read more
Tracking Texas: Mapping Bills from the 2025 Session
Browse maps of bills filed by Texas lawmakers as they come in. Updated every day!
How H-GAC’s representation bias helps the suburbs and hurts the city
Every third Tuesday of the month, thirty-seven local policymakers pack themselves into a conference room in Greenway Plaza to determine the shape of Houston’s future. Although this particular conference room is in the geographic center of the Houston region, the policymakers represent the interest of people in the suburbs. This isn’t by accident. It’s how … Read more
Redrawing Houston’s Eviction Courts: Any Map is Better Than What We Have Now
Every Monday morning, Judge Israel Garcia, Jr., who serves as Harris County Justice of the Peace for Precinct 5, stares down a punishing docket of eviction, debt collection, and traffic cases for the week. His courtroom has a line out the door of parents and children, desperate to resolve a dispute with their landlord or … Read more
Top 5 Takeaways About the Vote Your Way Campaign
In the November 2019 election, voters in Harris County, Texas could vote at any polling location, not just the polling place assigned to their precinct. This change was designed to make it easier for more people to participate in the electoral process. In order to promote the program, the Harris County Clerk brought in our friends … Read more
Finding 30,000 disenfranchised voters in Houston
In 48 states, a felony conviction means that you lose the right to vote. This can be temporary or permanent, depending on your state. During the 2018 election, Florida pushed this issue into the national spotlight with a state constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to felons. It passed with two-thirds of the vote. Texas, … Read more
Ranked choice voting could save millions of dollars for Texas cities
Around the country, there are calls to reform our election process. Activists want to ensure that the outcomes of elections properly reflect the will of the people. Because elections are administered at the local level, this results in experiments in radical democracy in likely and unlikely places. Ranked choice voting is one of those experiments … Read more
Why Houston Will Be Hard to Count in Census 2020
Counting people is vital to our democracy. Every ten years, the US government has a constitutional obligation to conduct a census that counts everyone living in the United States. This count determines how many Congressional representatives each state receives, the levels of Federal funding for state and local governments and federal programs, and serves as … Read more
Map of Bills Filed by the 86th Texas Legislature (2019)
The elections are over, but things are just getting started in Texas. The 86th Texas Legislature convenes in the beginning of 2019, and newly-elected House and Senate members are already filing legislation. Two years ago, we built a map of bills filed for the 85th session. This year, you’ll notice the maps got an upgrade. … Read more