After reporting from The Texas Tribune, the office tasked with handing out vouchers clarified that families who do not complete a special education evaluation this year may have a chance to qualify for more funding in future years.  The comptroller’s office on Thursday clarified its interpretation of Texas’ school voucher law in a way that could help students with disabilities qualify for nearly $20,000 more each year in taxpayer funds.Senate Bill 2 provides families roughly $10,500 per year to pay for private school and $2,000 for home-schoolers. Students with disabilities can qualify for up to $30,000 — but only if they have received a special education evaluation from a public school. view article

Turnout in the Democratic primary outpaced that on the Republican side for the first time since 2020, a notable distinction given the draw of high-profile Senate primaries in both parties.  Nearly one in four registered voters in Texas cast a ballot in Tuesday’s primaries, a high-water mark for midterm elections in the state’s recent history, driven by electrifying momentum surrounding both parties’ races for U.S. Senate.  In all, some 4.3 million Texans voted across the Democratic and Republican primaries, according to unofficial numbers on the Texas Secretary of State’s Office as of 1 p.m. Wednesday. The turnout was divided between about 2.2 million ballots in the Democratic primary and more than 2 million on the Republican side; it was the first time with higher Democratic turnout since 2020, when voters flocked to weigh in on the party’s open presidential primary. view article

Republican primary voters across Texas overwhelmingly supported a ballot proposition calling for the prohibition of Sharia law, according to unofficial results from the March 2026 Primary Election.   The measure—Proposition 10—asked voters whether Texas should prohibit the use of Sharia law. The proposition was one of 10 non-binding questions placed on the Republican primary ballot by the Republican Party of Texas to gauge grassroots priorities ahead of the party’s 2026 convention and the 2027 legislative session. view article

The 2026 campaign kicked off Tuesday with high-profile primary elections in Texas, where Republican Sen. John Cornyn is heading toward a runoff vote against state attorney general Ken Paxton. Democrats chose state Rep. James Talarico over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett to be their candidate.  For all the focus on Texas, elections in North Carolina could have a bigger impact on which party ultimately wins the Senate majority in the fall.   In the first election since President Donald Trump joined Israel in launching dramatic attacks on Iran, there were also contests in Arkansas. view article

LUFKIN — Tuesday’s Republican primary election marks a new era for East Texas, as several of the powerhouses who have long championed the region at the Capitol won’t appear on the ballot for the first time in decades. view article

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Last spring, the Texas Legislature passed a bill that allows school districts to add a period dedicated to prayer and reading the Bible or other religious texts in public schools. Now, school districts are nearly at the end of their deadline to vote on whether or not they’ll do so.  While Senate Bill 11 doesn’t require prayer in all public schools, it allows school districts to “adopt a policy requiring every campus of the district or school to provide students and employees with an opportunity to participate in a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text on each school day.” view article

Magnolia ISD has become one of the first school districts in the Houston area — and only the second known so far in Texas  —  to approve a daily period of prayer under a new state law.  Several other area districts, including Houston, Conroe, Cypress-Fairbanks and Katy ISDs, have declined to establish a new prayer period, citing logistical challenges and that students are already allowed to express their faith under state and federal law. Last year, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 11, which tasks school boards with voting on whether to establish a district-wide period of prayer and “reading of the Bible or other religious text on each school day” for students and employees. view article

Early voting in person runs from Feb. 17-27. This guide explains your rights at Texas polls.  Voting for the 2026 primaries starts Tuesday. Texas Republican and Democrat voters will pick which candidate they want to represent their interests and their party on the ballot for the November general election.  Before you head to the polls, you should know you have rights as a voter and there are certain rules in place at voting locations about what you can bring and wear. You also need an approved photo ID to vote in person. view article

Texas families will soon be able to access $1 billion in taxpayer dollars through education savings accounts, also known as school vouchers, to pay for private school tuition, tutoring, transportation and several other education-related costs.  Passed during the 89th legislative session, the state is calling the universal program Texas Education Freedom Accounts. Families can start applying Wednesday, Feb. 4.  The application portal closes March 17 with selected families getting funds for the 2026-27 school year. State officials estimate the first year of TEFAs will serve about 100,000 families, with awards averaging about $10,000. view article

The application period will close March 17. If demand exceeds the $1 billion available, the state will prioritize students based on family income and whether they have a disability. view article

Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks made their fortune in the oil business. They’ve deployed millions of dollars to pull the Texas GOP and Legislature toward their hardline stances view article

'I am innocent and I am a fighter.'  Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida just got one step closer to being expelled from the House of Representatives.  The House Ethics investigative subcommittee effectively found Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of nearly every campaign finance violation levied against her earlier this year. The bipartisan panel voted to start the process that could lead to Cherfilus-McCormick's expulsion after she was accused of laundering millions of dollars worth of Federal Emergency Management Agency funds related to a COVID-era contract into her campaign account. view article

Funding was only made available for approximately 100,000 students.  With a week still remaining for families to submit applications for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts, the Office of the Comptroller has announced that more than 174,000 students have applied for the 2026-2027 school year.  Lawmakers budgeted $1 billion for the program last year, which is estimated to cover 100,000 students. That spending was in addition to historic increases in public school spending. view article

The Republican runoff between Mayes Middleton and Chip Roy is scheduled for May 26.   Former DOJ official Aaron Reitz has endorsed State Sen. Mayes Middleton in the Republican runoff for Texas attorney general, backing the candidate he previously opposed in a competitive primary.  Reitz, who finished fourth in the March 3 primary with more than 277,000 votes, announced his support for Middleton in a statement Wednesday. Middleton and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy advanced to the runoff after placing first and second, respectively, with neither candidate securing a majority.  “In my last public statement, I said that the next Attorney General of Texas must have three qualities,” Reitz said. “As between Mayes Middleton and Chip Roy, only Mayes meets those criteria—and that is why he has earned my enthusiastic endorsement to be the next Attorney General.” view article

Controversy is growing around Austin ISD’s Pride Week, set for this week, as the State Board of Education calls on the district to get rid of the themed week altogether, and some parents argue there are more pressing issues. The debate comes as a new state law, Senate Bill 12, has recently gone into effect. The law bans the use of diversity, equity, and inclusion in public schools and clubs. view article

State Rep. Andy Hopper’s legislation was never given a committee hearing.  A Republican lawmaker is challenging his colleagues to advance legislation aimed at ending taxpayer-funded government education for illegals after the proposal was previously sidelined over what was described as an “author problem.” In the culture of the Texas House, that is when legislation is authored by someone whom the lobby or the chamber’s leadership simply does not like. State Rep. Andy Hopper (R–Decatur) announced Monday that he is offering last session’s House Bill 4707 to State Rep. Jared Patterson (R–Frisco), inviting him to refile the proposal in the 2027 legislative session. view article

Join the Texas Tribune on Tuesday, April 14 in Austin or online when Huffines sits down with Texas Tribune Editor-in-Chief Matthew Watkins for a conversation about the candidate’s goals for the office, his relationships with the state’s top leaders and the upcoming general election. view article

Twelve House incumbents from Texas are set to leave Congress after this year, with the possibility of additional turnover in the May runoffs and November general election. view article

Sheets, in an interview with The Texas Tribune, also promised to lower costs for farmers and work with federal officials to beat a parasitic fly heading toward Texas.Nate Sheets promised to clean house at the Texas Department of Agriculture on Wednesday after he ousted Commissioner Sid Miller in the Republican primary.  view article

President Donald Trump issued a warning to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over recent claims about being willing to disobey an eventual order to drop out of the state's GOP primary race for the U.S. Senate.  Speaking to Politico, Trump addressed Paxton's remarks. "That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction," he said.  Paxton said he would remain in the race even despite Trump's wishes, saying "I owe it to the people of Texas." view article

WASHINGTON — Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, dropped out of his primary runoff Thursday, heeding calls from House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP members to end his reelection bid amid revelations that he had an affair with an aide who died by suicide.  “After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” Gonzales said in a statement posted on social media. “Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.” view article

State Rep. Brent Money says the caucus will focus on examining how Sharia law conflicts with American constitutional protections.   State Rep. Brent Money unveiled the Sharia Free Texas Caucus on Thursday, saying the group will develop legislative proposals aimed at preventing the influence of Islamic law in the state.  “I think that one of the biggest issues facing Texas right now is the Islamization of Texas,” Money told Texas Scorecard in an interview. “We are seeing throughout the world what it’s like when you have runaway immigration and enclaves of Islamic communities that don’t assimilate into culture.” view article

Sheets, in an interview with The Texas Tribune, also promised to lower costs for farmers and work with federal officials to beat a parasitic fly heading toward Texas.  Sheets, in an interview with The Texas Tribune, also promised to lower costs for farmers and work with federal officials to beat a parasitic fly heading toward Texas. view article

Republican comptroller nominee Don Huffines says his decisive victory in Tuesday’s primary shows Texas that voters are ready for stronger oversight of government spending.  Huffines secured more than 50 percent of the vote in the four-way Republican primary, defeating Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, and accountant Michael Berlanga to avoid a runoff.   In an interview with Texas Scorecard, Huffines discussed the race, his “DOGE Texas” agenda, President Donald Trump’s endorsement, and his upcoming General Election contest against Democrat Sarah Eckhardt. view article

A “student-led” walkout on Feb. 20 at Olathe Northwest High School to protest immigration enforcement ended in a violent altercation between students and multiple arrests, and the district is refusing to answer questions.  The Sentinel asked Olathe Superintendent Brent Yeager and Olathe Northwest Principal Chris Zuck if the district condoned the walkout and if any action to prevent the walkout was taken. Yeager and Zuck were also asked if district staff participated and if there would be any disciplinary action taken against participants for leaving school grounds during school hours.  As of publication, there has been no response.  The district sent out notices to parents affirming the students’ “right to protest.”  But a note from Yeager noted this was only the latest such walkout. view article

State Rep. James Talarico won the Texas Senate Democratic primary, defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett and giving party leaders the candidate they had quietly seen as the stronger option to flip the ruby-red state.  The race was defined by questions of electability and simmering racial tensions, as Talarico and Crockett worked to reassemble the party’s fractured multiracial coalition. That carried over through Tuesday, with both candidates raising concerns that voters had been disenfranchised in Crockett’s home base of Dallas County, which includes a large number of Black voters. view article

Tuesday was primary Election Day across the state of Texas, and in Angelina County some races were settled while one is headed to a May runoff.   State Rep. Trent Ashby won the Republican nomination for District 3 state senator Tuesday evening, defeating former state Republican committeewoman Rhonda Ward. The former Lufkin ISD board president has represented Angelina County in the state Legislature since 2013 and will take on Democratic nominee Bobby Tillman in November’s general election to succeed the retiring Robert Nichols, who has represented East Texas since 2007. view article

Nate Sheets defeats three-term incumbent Sid Miller in GOP primary for Texas agriculture commissioner view article

A Muslim parent is suing Texas for excluding certain Islamic private schools from the state’s new school choice program.  The federal lawsuit alleges constitutional violations for religious discrimination and attempts to refute claims that the excluded schools have terrorist ties.   Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) allow families to use taxpayer-funded accounts to pay for private school tuition, homeschooling expenses, and other educational services—up to $10,000 per student per year.  The program was enacted by the Texas Legislature in 2025. Applications for the 2026-27 school year opened in February and the deadline is March 17.  In December 2025, Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock requested Attorney General Ken Paxton’s legal opinion on whether certain private schools may be barred from participating in the program due to potential ties to terrorist organizations or foreign adversaries. view article

Texas’ Republican primary race for attorney general will head to a runoff between State Sen. Mayes Middleton and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy. Middleton led Roy by roughly 10 points at the time of publication, with neither candidate surpassing the required 50 percent threshold. view article

The conservative state representative is set to replace the incumbent congressman.  Republican State Rep. Steve Toth of The Woodlands has defeated U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw in the Republican primary for Texas’ 2nd Congressional District.  As of publication, with 63 percent of the vote in, Toth leads 57.6 percent to Crenshaw’s 39.2 percent. view article

The most expensive Senate primary of all time is going into overtime. view article

State Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, D-San Antonio, attended a Judson ISD school board meeting Thursday night after she said she recieved multiple complaints from constituents. “I’m looking for other jobs just in case,” Gervin-Hawkins said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen if you guys continue to meltdown, things are not gonna go well for any of us.” view article

Both parties are contemplating the notion of Brandon Herrera, a gun-loving YouTuber with a history of provocative comments, as the GOP nominee. Herrera says he can win in November. view article

Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general and US Senate candidate, has called for public school students to recite the Lord’s Prayer, specifying the King James Bible version. In a statement on September 1, 2025, Paxton said, “In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up.” He criticized liberals for trying to “erase Truth” and claimed America was founded on “Biblical Truth.” view article