I was laid off by The Texas Tribune yesterday after more than 10 years there — most spent centering communities of color in my reporting.

This is my last story, which was set to run before I was called in. This is the kind of reporting I was doing: texastribune.org/2023/08/24/kar… I care deeply about my home state, even if it hasn’t always cared for people like me, and I’ve dedicated my career to writing stories that capture its complexities and the challenges faced by Texans of color trying to call it home. texastribune.org/2022/12/08/san…

Greetings from the Texas House where lawmakers will be debating Senate Bill 1, the GOP-backed voting bill.

@DadePhelan tells members the chamber's decorum rules will be strictly enforced. #txlege SB 1 goes far beyond what the House voted out during the regular legislative session.

We're starting today w/ the same version of the legislation that prompted Democrats' six-week quorum break though author Rep. Andrew Murr will offer an amendment to make some changes. #txlege

Looks like the Senate elections bill, SB 1, will be rewritten in committee to match the House's election bill, HB 3.

There are various differences but the bills are a lot closer than the two versions of SB7 during the regular session: house.texas.gov/_media/pdf/com… #txlege It may be a bit until we get to the bill though.

The Select Committee on Constitutional Rights & Remedies will first take up the social media censorship bill. They will also have to break ahead of their 4pm call time on the House floor. #txlege

Yes, @CarolforTexas is still going in her filibuster against the GOP's voting bill.

She started her filibuster at 5:50 p.m. Wednesday. #txlege

https://twitter.com/alexazura/status/1425696665252646925

@CarolforTexas Alvarado has slowed down some, but I am quite honestly surprised by how similar the 53-year-old senator sounds at 8 a.m. vs 1 a.m. (after being on her feet without a break since before sunset yesterday). #txlege

Adding fuel to Texas voting bill fight, @CarolforTexas says she will filibuster on Senate's bill, which is up for debate now.

Alvarado acknowledged the bill will eventually pass but said a filibuster can help "call attention to what is at stake." texastribune.org/2021/08/11/tex… #txlege @CarolforTexas Senate gave initial approval to SB 1 on 18-11 party-line vote earlier today after some amendments, including creation of online option to correct voting-by-mail errors.

That's something activists, including advocates for voters with disabilities, had been pushing for. #txlege

“Members take your key and leave the chamber discretely. Do not go the gallery. Leave the building.” @ChrisGTurner texted Democrats as they left the House chamber, breaking quorum and preventing a vote on Senate Bill 7 before a midnight deadline: texastribune.org/2021/05/30/tex… House Democrats who just broke quorum to prevent vote on GOP’s priority voting bill, Senate Bill 7, are arriving at a Baptist church two miles from the Capitol.

Several “no comments” from lawmakers as they walk into a side entrance of a brick building #txlege

The Senate is now trying to bring up Senate Bill 7 on the floor w/ Democrats raising parliamentary inquiries and questions about timing on when the report was distributed to members for review #txlege

https://twitter.com/alexazura/status/1398777389941932036

.@SenBryanHughes is trying to suspend the rules to allow the Senate to vote on the conference committee report earlier than the required 24 hours since it was filed. He wants to bring up the report after 10 p.m. #txlege

SB 7 conference committee report has finally been published (w/o Democrats' signatures - no surprise there): lrl.texas.gov/scanned/87ccrs…

Here's our breakdown from earlier when it finally emerged from closed door negotiations: texastribune.org/2021/05/29/tex… #txlege Final version of SB 7 will:

-ban extended early voting hours
-ban drive-thru voting
-further clamp down on voting-by-mail rules

Final version leaves out polling place regulation in big counties that would've led to a decrease in voting sites in Dem areas/for voters of color.

Election Day polling places in largely Democratic parts of major Texas counties would decrease dramatically under a version of the GOP’s priority voting bill — voting options would be curtailed most in areas with higher shares of voters of color: texastribune.org/2021/05/23/tex… #txlege Under Senate’s version of Senate Bill 7:

Only Democratic areas in Harris County would lose polling places.

In Tarrant, the greatest losses would be in areas where the large majority of eligible voters are Hispanic & Black:

House Elections Committee's hearing just broke down amid @BriscoeCain's refusal to allow @NicoleCollier95 (who is not on the committee) to ask questions on House Bill 6, even when @jessicafortexas was presiding over the committee & trying to recognize Collier for Qs #txlege Collier is chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. There are no Black members on the elections committee. The caucus and @MALCTx previously asked to be able to participate in the hearing — something I've seen happen in the elections committee in previous #txlege sessions

Takeaways from day 2 of hearing in TX voter citizenship review lawsuit: SOS elections director Keith Ingram said “miscommunication” was to blame for erroneously flagging 20K+ voters. They ignored citizenship flag in data because they wrongly thought it was self-reported. #txlege Ingram also said 43 people on original list asked to be removed from voter rolls because they were not citizens. Unclear how many of them indicated they weren't citizens when they submitted voter reg applications & were mistakenly added as some counties have admitted happens.

Greetings from the federal courthouse in San Antonio where Judge Fred Biery will consider a request for a preliminary injunction to block Texas’ voter citizenship review & the state’s motion to dismiss the legal challenge #txlege Biery repeatedly asking if SOS considered naturalized citizens could be on list of flagged voters.

AG lawyer: Focus was on noncitizens, not naturalized

Biery: If somebody was born here, they couldn't be a noncitizen so theres a different standard for native born & naturalized?