Harris County cannot send all voters mail ballot applications, Texas elections director says

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Houston Chronicle by  Zach Despart Aug. 28, 2020

Harris County cannot send all voters mail ballot applications, Texas elections director says

The state’s elections director called on the Harris County clerk’s office to halt plans to send mail ballot applications to all 2.4 million registered voters, labeling it an “abuse of voters’ rights” under the Texas Election Code.

“By sending applications to all voters, including many who do not qualify for voting by mail, your office may cause voters to provide false information on the form,” Texas Elections Director Keith Ingram wrote in a letter to Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins Thursday. “Your action thus raises serious concerns under Texas Election Code.”

Ingram called the county’s plan “an abuse of voters’ rights” because every voter cannot possibly be eligible for a mail ballot.

Hollins refused to alter his plan. The county clerk’s office issued a statement in which the Democrat who took office in June said his office would provide detailed guidance along with the mail ballot applications to explain who is eligible.

In Texas, voters can apply for mail ballots if they are 65 years of age or older, will be out of the county or incarcerated during the voting period, or are disabled.

The disability clause has been at the center of debate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Texas Supreme Court ruled in May that lack of immunity to the virus alone does not meet the disability standard; however, it could be one of several factors to qualify a voter for a mail ballot.

More: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/Harris-County-cannot-send-all-voters-mail-ballot-15522004.php