I see Texas Republicans are doing their best to suppress votes.... again.
Texas Supreme Court Says It Won't Allow Voters Afraid of COVID-19 to Mail in Election BallotsOn Wednesday, the Texas Supreme Court decided that state residents who are worried about contracting COVID-19 while waiting to vote in the November national elections don't qualify under current state rules to receive a mail-in ballot.
However, the court's majority opinion essentially says that it's up to voters to decide whether they qualify for a mail-in ballot and that election officials can simply take a voter at their word if their application for mail-in ballot says they do qualify.
The decision potentially sets up a legal issue, especially since Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said that healthy voters who seek mail-in ballots could be criminally prosecuted for election fraud.
Texas state law only allows residents to receive a mail-in ballot if they are over the age of 65, are in jail or have a physical or medical condition that impairs them from voting.
Plaintiffs in the case of the Texas Democratic Party v. DeBeauvoir said that everyone has a "physical condition" of being susceptible of contracting COVID-19 in public places. However, Texas government officials representing the Travis County Clerk said that fear of contracting COVID-19 isn't a physical condition and thus isn't a legitimate reason to receive a mail-in ballot.