Texas Democrats sue the state to keep straight-ticket voting in 2020

[RandySF]

On the heels of Super Tuesday voting that left Texans waiting for hours to cast their ballots, Democrats are suing the state to overturn Republicans’ decision to kill straight-ticket voting.

In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Laredo, the Texas Democratic Party — joined by the chair of the Webb County Democratic Party and the Democratic campaign arms of the U.S. Senate and House — claims the elimination of straight-ticket voting is unconstitutional and intentionally discriminatory because the longer lines and waiting times it is expected to cause would be disproportionately felt at polling places that serve Hispanic and black voters.

"In ending a century-old voting practice that Texans have relied on to exercise their most fundamental and sacred rights — the rights to political participation and association — Texas has recklessly created a recipe for disaster at the polls in 2020," the Democrats wrote in their lawsuit.

The popular practice allowed general-election voters to vote for all of the candidates of either party in an election by simply picking a straight-ticket option at the top of the ballot. But Texas Republican lawmakers championed a change to the law during the 2017 legislative session, arguing it would compel voters to make more-informed decisions because they would have to make a decision on every race on a ballot.




https://www.texastribune.org/2020/03/05/texas-democrats-sue-state-keep-straight-ticket-voting-2020/

[TheFarseer]

1. I hate straight ticket voting

But I see their point. Isn’t the answer to have more polling places?

[Swfladem]

2. Republicans aren't doing this....

to make lines longer. They are doing this to protect themselves at the state and congressional levels. For the first time that I can remember, Texas may actually go blue. Imagine how many local, state, and congressional levels will lose their positions due to the parties association with Trump.