Name: Coronavirus-related mail voting is off again in Texas, as state Supreme Court weighs in
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Coronavirus-related mail voting is off again in Texas, as state Supreme Court weighs in

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8:11 PM on May 15, 2020 CDTAUSTIN — The Texas Supreme Court late Friday an appeals court’s order that had allowed election officials across the state to temporarily give mail ballots to people who are afraid of being infected with the coronavirus.Attorney General Ken Paxton said the court accepted his that mail ballots should not be granted to voters who fear catching COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. He said the Supreme Court’s order stops the distribution of mail ballots under those conditions until his appeal is heard.“I am pleased that today the Texas Supreme Court confirmed that my office may continue to prosecute voter fraud and issue guidance on mail-in ballots" while an appeal plays out, Paxton said in a statement.On Thursday, Texas’ Houston-based 14th Court of Appeals had with a state district judge in Travis County who in April that a lack of immunity to COVID-19 temporarily qualified all Texas voters to vote by mail because of the state election code’s disability clause. That decision allowed election officials to send mail-in ballots during the global pandemic to people who would not otherwise qualify.The Supreme Court’s decision temporarily overruled that order, so no exceptions can be made for vote-by-mail applications until the appeals case is decided. The high court has scheduled a Wednesday hearing on Paxton’s request that it block election officials from sending mail-in ballots to voters who fear becoming infected if they vote in person.The Texas Democratic Party, which filed suit asking for the mail-in ballot expansion, was not completely unprepared for such a decision. The party sued in both state and federal courts, saying that if the state chose to break election laws, the party would ask the federal courts to step in.Related:After a hearing in federal court Friday morning, Chad Dunn, an attorney for the Democratic Party said he was surprised that Paxton continued fighting the decision by two state courts even though election officials in the state seemed ready to comply with the orders.“I’m shocked, frankly, that the state of Texas even today, in these circumstances where so many people are suffering, that they’re fighting tooth and nail to try to make grandmothers [who are] 64 years old go and vote in person,” Dunn said. “Couldn’t be more surprised.”Currently, Texas allows voters older than 65 to vote by mail. It also allows people with disabilities, military members and those who will be away from home during an election to vote by mail.The state lawsuit centers on expanding what qualifies as a disability in the state election code. The Democrats and voting rights groups that joined the suit said the risk of contracting COVID-19, a highly infectious disease for which there is no cure, should qualify as a disability. Paxton said only an illness or physical disability that prevents a voter from going to the polls is covered.State District Judge Tim Sulak sided with the plaintiffs, saying that a lack of immunity to COVID-19 qualified as a disability, and issued a temporary injunction that allowed election officials across the state to send mail ballots to any voter who asked for one while the court case played out. To not do so, he said, could cause irreparable harm by taking away a person’s right to vote.Since then, the legal battle has gone back and forth, with Paxton appealing at every level and saying he was still authorized to enforce the state’s election law and go after those who try to expand voting by mail.“Protecting the integrity of elections is one of my most important and sacred obligations,” he said. “The Legislature has carefully limited who may and may not vote by mail. The Travis County trial court’s decision to allow everyone to vote by mail is contrary to state law and will be reversed on appeal.”The Democrats said the state is placing voters’ lives at stake for political gain in upcoming elections.“This effort by Paxton and the rest of the Republican Party to make people choose between exercising their right to vote and and exercising their right to live is just an affront to everything that this democracy stands for,” state Democratic chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said Friday morning.Get the latest coronavirus updates delivered to your inbox by signing up for our exclusive newsletter.By signing up you agree to our

8:11 PM on May 15, 2020 CDTAUSTIN — The Texas Supreme Court late Friday an appeals court’s order that had allowed election officials across the state to temporarily give mail ballots to people who are afraid of being infected with the coronavirus.Attorney General Ken Paxton said the court accepted his that mail ballots should not be granted to voters who fear catching COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. He said the Supreme Court’s order stops the distribution of mail ballots under those conditions until his appeal is heard.“I am pleased that today the Texas Supreme Court confirmed...

Coronavirus-related mail voting is off again in Texas, as state Supreme Court weighs in

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