The New Normal: What A Post-COVID World Looks Like As vaccine rates continue to rise, many officials are establishing guidelines for what people can expect the new normal to be like. Masks, plexiglass barriers and online shopping are likely to stay. Nicole Cobler, Austin American-Statesman | March 16, 2021 | Analysis (TNS) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott touted a slew of Republican-led legislative measures Monday that take aim at Harris County's attempts to expand early voting and mail-in ballot access in the 2020 election. The governor said the measures, carried by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R- Houston, would improve election security in Texas. "There's really one thing all of us can and should agree upon, and that is we must have trust and confidence in our elections," Abbott said, speaking from Bettencourt's district office in Houston. "One way to do that is to make sure that we reduce the potential for voter fraud in our elections."