Jessica Huseman

If you ever have to spend nearly 24 straight hours reporting on voting without sleeping, I recommend capping it with a steak, wine, and a james McMurtry album while you stare at a river.

Sometimes I totally forget that going on local news is really cool and in the last day I’ve had to shoot hits in my Airbnb and a random coworking space I found off the highway. The absolute jazzed-ness of my hosts - who now have news clips featuring their walls - was the funnest part of this midterm

✌️

After grueling hand count in 2024, a Texas county tries again When Gillespie County Republicans hand-counted the 2024 primary, it took all night and led to several errors. That didn’t stop them from doing it again in 2026.

For those following what's going on in Texas: @jessicahuseman.bsky.social was in Gillespie County last night where Republicans once again hand-counted ballots

www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...

To follow our ongoing reporting on voting and elections in Texas, be sure to sign up for our free Texas newsletter, hosted by @nataliaecm.bsky.social:
www.votebeat.org/texas/subscr...

After grueling hand count in 2024, a Texas county tries again When Gillespie County Republicans hand-counted the 2024 primary, it took all night and led to several errors. That didn’t stop them from doing it again in 2026.

And Editorial Director @jessicahuseman.bsky.social went to Gillespie County to observe Republicans hand counting their ballots. Despite fewer ballots to count than in 2024, they still took nearly as long — sending their report to the Secretary of State after 5 a.m.
www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...

More than 12 hours after polls closed, Republicans in Eastland County, Texas, are still hand counting primary ballots The county party chose to tally GOP primary ballots by hand this year, delaying results and causing logistical headaches for election administrators

Texas reporter @nataliaecm.bsky.social went to Eastland County, Texas to watch Republicans hand count their primary ballots. The counting was still ongoing on Wednesday morning, more than 12 hours after polls closed.
www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...

Texas had its primary election yesterday, March 3. Here's what happened in Dallas and in two other counties where Republicans decided to hand-count their ballots. 🧵

I'm about to walk into a fantastic looking german diner where i assume they have pancakes

After grueling hand count in 2024, a Texas county tries again When Gillespie County Republicans hand-counted the 2024 primary, it took all night and led to several errors. That didn’t stop them from doing it again in 2026.

I stayed up all night (and I’m still awake) in Gillespie County as workers counted paper ballots by hand in 13 precincts — and county officials worked to turn those tallies into official results. Here’s how it went: www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...

After grueling hand count in 2024, a Texas county tries again When Gillespie County Republicans hand-counted the 2024 primary, it took all night and led to several errors. That didn’t stop them from doing it again in 2026.

here's my story www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...

Saw that fox tho.

my feet smell awful. truly hideous.

I got to my Airbnb at 6:10, just in time for 6:15 live TV hit, and now I'm gonna eat pancakes until I calm down and then sleep until as long as it takes for the Airbnb to evict me

happy midterm election day 2026

someone just left (it's 5:18 a.m.) and said "have a good evening!" because THAT IS USUALLY WHAT YOU SAY WHEN YOU LEAVE WORK.

No law requires auditing of hand-counted elections in TX (there is one for electronically tabulated). So, how did it go? We may actually never know. Yay!

well that ended a couple of hours ago but the work continues for the county, which has to do significantly more work to submit the same number of results to the state for Republicans than they do Democrats (who are not hand counting)

I live in this room now.

I'm gonna be asked to explain what has happened here today and I think all I may be able to explain is that I saw a fox I have no real proof of seeing

about 40 races, depending on where you live in the county and your precinct. It's a lot of work.

Folks it is 4:30 am. I am still here.

I’m still at the county elections office in Gillespie county Texas, where the republicans are hand counting ballots cast on election day. Waiting on the last of 13 precinct. I saw a fox, but I don’t think you can really tell. This is glamorous work.

Confused voters at the wrong voting locations in Dallas and Eastland. Delayed primary results in Williamson. Conflicting court orders.

@jessicahuseman.bsky.social @nataliaecm.bsky.social and Dallas Free Press have you covered tonight, with more to come from @votebeat.org

of course you are a historian! I should have known to ask a historian.

oooh!

I'm looking for an archive of national TV news programs that would have aired in the early 2000s. That's a tall order, I know. Does anyone know any good resources?

really strugging to tell the difference between this and an oscar acceptance speech that never ends.

Small-town Wisconsin is struggling to find its next election clerks In Wausau and across rural Wisconsin, aging clerks are hard to replace — straining the state’s decentralized election system.

Who's going to run elections in small-town WI? In many places, it's a question w/o a clear answer.

Take it from the Town of Wausau, which has had 4 clerks in just over a year. It's a problem w/o a neat solution, but clerks still sure decentralized elections are best
www.votebeat.org/wisconsin/20...

Small-town Wisconsin is struggling to find its next election clerks In Wausau and across rural Wisconsin, aging clerks are hard to replace — straining the state’s decentralized election system.

New piece from Alex Shur/@votebeat.org on what happens when small towns can’t find anyone to run their elections. In parts of Wisconsin, longtime clerks are stepping down — and officials are struggling to find replacements. Essential (and very well-written) read:
www.votebeat.org/wisconsin/20...

FBI’s “Stand Down” Directive to NYPD on Jeffrey Epstein Investigations, and More The most comprehensive timeline to date of the publicly available record on New York law enforcement authorities’ action and inaction with regard to Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and other potential co-c...

Me with a scoop/exclusive

Five days after Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest, federal authorities “directed” NY law enforcement authorities to “stand down” their investigations related to Epstein, new documents released by the Department of Justice show.

Part of new Timeline on NY and Epstein.