Texas tells Harris County to halt plan to send all voters applications for mail-in ballots

[RandySF]

Until now, the fight over voting by mail in Texas during the coronavirus pandemic has focused on which voters are eligible to cast an absentee ballot. Now, the battle has progressed to an argument between the state and its most populous county over who can even receive the form to apply for a mail-in ballot.

In a letter dated Aug. 27, Keith Ingram, director of elections for the Texas secretary of state, told Harris County to “immediately halt” its plans to send every registered voter in the county an application for a mail-in ballot for the general election. Ingram demanded the county drop its plan by Monday to avoid legal action by the Texas attorney general.

Sending out the applications "would be contrary to our office’s guidance on this issue and an abuse of voters’ rights under Texas Election Code Section 31.005,” Ingram wrote, citing a provision of state law that gives the secretary of state’s office power to take such action to “protect the voting rights” of Texans from “abuse” by local officials responsible for administering elections.

Earlier this week, the Harris County Clerk’s office announced it would be sending every registered voter an application for a mail-in ballot for the general election. With more than 2 million residents on the voter rolls, the move to proactively send out applications that voters must otherwise request or find online put Harris in line with an initiative that several states have carried out for primary elections during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Providing more information and resources to voters is a good thing, not a bad thing," Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins said in response to the state's letter. "We have already responded to the Secretary of State's Office offering to discuss the matter with them."




https://www.texastribune.org/2020/08/28/mail-in-ballots-texas-harris-county/

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Yeah, like I thought. BAD days ahead and I just hope to GOD people understand this

and are preparing themselves.

[MagickMuffin]

2. "would be contrary to our office's guidance on this issue and an abuse of voters' rights"

I'd like to point out that there subversion of my RIGHTS to decide how and where I cast my ballot.

The State of Texas is abusing my VOTERS' RIGHTS by making decisions that affect my VOTE!

[duforsure]

3. I hope all Texans remember this

And vote all republicans in Texas out of office in Nov., and to vote out of office Governor Abbott, and Cruz, and Cornyn. Voting is a right, voting safely during a deadly pandemic should be too, and those that would make people endanger themselves and others by having to go out shouldn't be part of OUR government. Abbott will never get elected again.