The blue wave of election results was not felt equally across the region. While Texas experienced a seismic shift in the political landscape, states including Arkansas and Louisiana did not see the same effects.

The polls opened at 6:00 a.m. in Louisiana, and at 7:00 a.m. in Texas and will remain open in Texas until 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. in Louisiana. Arkansas polls opened at 7:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.

Political strategists say texting has grown in popularity as a relatively cheap way to contact voters — costing as little as 1 cent per message — though opinions vary on their efficacy as a campaign tool.

Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico crisscross Texas encouraging supporters to vote with just days left ahead of the midterm elections.

UPDATED: A federal court in San Antonio has dismissed a lawsuit by three civil rights organizations against the Texas Secretary of State. The court said the NAACP and its Texas chapter, as well as the Texas League of United Latin American Citizens, or Texas LULAC, lacked the standing to sue for the records under the National Voter Registration Act.

The state health agency is also processing 64% of food benefits applications in a timely manner — within 30 days — even though the required rate is 95%.

Political analysts see the president’s latest trip to Texas as another sign of the importance of Latino voters to the Republican Party in the midterm election.

The U.S. 5th Circuit rules the federal government can detain certain immigrants without bond hearings, reversing three federal district court decisions in Texas.

For families who stop receiving federal food assistance through SNAP, their children may still be eligible for free school meals. But they may have to apply.

Just months after a deadly Andes hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship captured international attention, researchers at LSU Health Shreveport are helping to answer one of the biggest remaining questions about how the virus infects people.