Houston Chronicle by Zach Despart and Taylor Goldenstein Aug. 31, 2020
Paxton sues to halt Harris County’s plan to send all voters a mail ballot application
The Texas attorney general on Monday sued Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins in an attempt to halt his plan to send mail ballot applications to all of the county’s 2.4 million registered voters.
Attorney General Ken Paxton accused Hollins of exceeding his authority by sending the applications, an action the attorney general said would confuse voters and open the door to fraud.
“Election officials have a duty to reject mail-in ballot applications from voters who are not eligible to vote by mail,†Paxton said in a statement. “Unfortunately, instead of protecting the integrity of our democratic process, the Harris County clerk decided to knowingly violate election laws by preparing to send over two million ballot applications to many Texans who do not qualify and have not requested to vote by mail.â€
The suit came on the same day the Texas Democratic Party argued before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the state unlawfully is discriminating against the majority of the voting-age population by requiring only those under the age of 65 to have an excuse to receive a mail-in ballot. Texas is one of seven states in which all voters are not eligible for mail ballots.
More:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Paxton-sues-to-halt-Harris-County-s-plan-to-15528698.php
