Name: Federal judge blocks Gov. Abbott’s order limiting number of mail ballot drop-off sites in Texas
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Federal judge blocks Gov. Abbott’s order limiting number of mail ballot drop-off sites in Texas

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9:21 PM on Oct 9, 2020 CDTUpdated at 2:42 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 with appeal of judge’s orderAUSTIN -- A federal judge in Austin blocked Gov. Greg Abbott’s order a county can have.In an issued late Friday night, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman of Austin put on hold Abbott’s order thereby allowing counties to have multiple mail ballot drop-off sites.The order said agents of the state are blocked from taking any action to inhibit election administrators from offering more than one drop-off location for ballots in their respective counties.The decision, issued by a Barack Obama appointee, is a blow to Abbott who argued the drop-off limit is aimed at preventing voter fraud. It is a major victory for voting rights groups and voters who the Republican governor’s move as a voter suppression tactic. On Saturday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an emergency appeal of the order.“The district court’s order undermines our election security, disrupts the democratic process, and will only lead to voter confusion. It cannot stand,” Paxton said in a statement. “Mail-in ballots are particularly vulnerable to fraud. Protections that ensure their security must be upheld and my office will continue to fight for safe, free and fair elections.”The appealed would go to the more conservative U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.Abbott issued his order on Oct. 1, nearly two weeks after counties had started sending mail ballots to voters. Some counties, like Harris, which covers more than 1,700 square miles, had announced multiple locations where voters could drop off their mail ballots.Other counties, like Travis and Fort Bend, followed Harris' lead in announcing multiple drop-off sites. But Abbott’s order, which altered a previous order he had issued in July, limited counties to one drop-off location.North Texas counties, including Dallas and Tarrant, had already decided on having only one drop-off location.But Abbott’s decision, which was made after officials already began sending out absentee ballots and less than two weeks before the start of early voting, “has caused voter confusion,” Pitman said. That confusion is amplified by statements from employees at the secretary of state’s office and the attorney general’s office who told local elections officials and courts that counties could use multiple drop-off sites.Pitman also took issue with the state’s argument that the drop-off site limit was about election security, noting that verification procedures are followed at each location and that such sites were used during the July runoffs without problems.Pitman also said that Abbott’s order unduly burdened sick and elderly voters, who have to choose between risking their health to vote at sites that may be crowded or risk being disenfranchised because the U.S. Postal Service could not guarantee the delivery of their ballots on time.“By forcing absentee voters to risk infection with a deadly disease to return their ballots in person or disenfranchisement if the USPS is unable to deliver their ballots in time, the October 1 Order imposes a burden on an already vulnerable voting population,” Pitman said.Voters in larger and more populous counties, were also being arbitrarily disenfranchised by being subjected to less voting opportunities than those in smaller, less populated counties.Being limited to one drop-off site in large counties could result in increased distances to travel to cast a vote, increased wait times, and increased potential for exposure to the coronavirus.Pitman’s ruling comes just days before the start of early voting in Texas, which will begin on Tuesday this year after being extended for six days.The Texas Democratic Party, which has pushed to expand mail voting during the pandemic, celebrated the court’s ruling, saying “Abbott’s attempt to suppress Texas voters has been thwarted.”“This important ruling stands up not just for voters but for the Rule of Law," Gilberto Hinojosa, the party’s chairman said in a statement. "This isn’t the first time Abbott and Texas Republicans have tried to suppress the vote, and it won’t be the last. The only way to stop these voter suppression attempts is to vote for Democrats up and down the ballot in November.”Receive the latest political news delivered every Tuesday and Thursday from reporters in Austin, Dallas and Washington.By signing up you agree to our

9:21 PM on Oct 9, 2020 CDTUpdated at 2:42 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 with appeal of judge’s orderAUSTIN -- A federal judge in Austin blocked Gov. Greg Abbott’s order a county can have.In an issued late Friday night, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman of Austin put on hold Abbott’s order thereby allowing counties to have multiple mail ballot drop-off sites.The order said agents of the state are blocked from taking any action to inhibit election administrators from offering more than one drop-off location for ballots in their respective counties.The decision, issued by a Barack Obama appointee, is...

Federal judge blocks Gov. Abbott’s order limiting number of mail ballot drop-off sites in Texas

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