Fifteen days, fifteen topics, one ballot. Before early voting begins, here is a voting plan, a map of who controls what in Texas, and seven questions you can ask of any claim from any side.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's test both election stories against the record. Day 14 of our Texas election series covers what SB 1 does, what the fraud and mail-ballot data show, where federal power stops at the polls, and what to do if you're turned away, with early voting starting Monday.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's check the gun debate against the numbers. Day 13 of our Texas election series covers what permitless carry actually allows, how Texas compares with the nation on crime and gun deaths, what the research does and doesn't show, and where polls find common ground.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's compare how safe Texans feel with what the state's own numbers show. Day 12 of our Texas election series covers crime trends, the new bail laws, police staffing and response times, and which offices actually control each lever.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's separate facts from values on the hardest topic on the ballot. Day 11 of our Texas election series covers what the law says, what the state's own records count, the medical board's findings in two deaths, and what each office can actually change.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's separate engineering fact from political narrative. Day 9 of our Texas election series covers what actually failed in February 2021, the live debate over national grid interconnection, homeowner solar roadblocks, and the market-driven renewables boom nobody's political rhetoric quite matches.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's sit with a crisis nobody's arguing is fake. Day 8 of our Texas election series covers the real scale of rural hospital closures, what the data says about Medicaid expansion, a very current standoff that complicates easy partisan blame, and whether litigation could actually help.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's slow down on the most emotionally charged topic in this series. Day 7 of our Texas election series checks the "immigrants are violent criminals" and "benefits drain" claims against the actual research, looks honestly at ICE enforcement controversy, and examines what tighter or looser immigration policy really means for the economy long-term.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's untangle who's actually responsible. Day 6 of our Texas election series traces the real path behind the state's hemp-derived THC restrictions, through a vetoed bill, an agency rule, and the state Supreme Court, and checks both campaigns' claims against the record.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's follow the money. Day 5 of our Texas election series breaks down contribution limits, who actually funds Super PACs and dark money groups, and why accountability for a claim's truth looks completely different depending on who paid for the ad.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's separate a map's confident design from the messier reality of how voters actually respond. Day 4 of our Texas election series covers the 2025 mid-decade redistricting fight, the unsettled legal battle behind it, and what each candidate's own record shows about who actually holds the power here.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's look past the percentages. Day 3 of our Texas election series breaks down what Texas's $1 billion school voucher program actually shows in its first year: who's really using it, what the income numbers really mean in dollars, and which offices can actually change its future.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's map a tax promise back to actual legal authority. Day 2 of our Texas election series breaks down how property tax rates are really set, what your bill actually pays for, and whether more school funding actually improves outcomes, with the recapture system as Exhibit A.

Before the coffee gets cold, let's separate the manufactured noise from what actually matters. Day 1 of our 15-day Texas election series looks at the Paxton-Talarico Senate race: the AI-generated attack ads, the culture-war distraction, and the legislative record and ethics history that should actually decide your vote.