Thread by @TexasTribune

Harris County planned to send applications to vote by mail to its more than 2 million registered voters.

The state and the county’s Republican party sued to halt those plans.

Here's what you need to know ⬇️

First: Texas' eligibility requirements for voting by mail are strict.

You can vote by mail if you are 65 or older, will be out of the county during the election period, cite a disability or illness or are confined in jail but still eligible to vote. bit.ly/3jGKrKT

The Texas election code defines disability as a “sickness or physical condition” that prevents a voter from appearing in person without personal assistance or the “likelihood of injuring the voter’s health.”

While lack of immunity to the new coronavirus alone doesn’t qualify a voter for a mail-in ballot based on disability, a voter can consider it along with their medical history to decide if they meet the requirement. bit.ly/3jGKrKT

On Aug. 25, Harris County said it would send an application to vote by mail to every registered voter in the county, though not every voter would ultimately qualify to vote by mail. bit.ly/2F3OBNI

To be clear: Ballots are not automatically sent to voters who want to vote by mail.

There is a difference between applying to receive a ballot and receiving a ballot.

The state lets any voter request an application to vote by mail through its website: bit.ly/2QOTZHu

Voters can also print out the application directly from the state’s website: bit.ly/2Dlupqa

The Texas secretary of state threatened legal action if the plan went forward, but Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins indicated he would not drop the effort.

The state sued the county on Aug. 31. bit.ly/2EZVUGk

Attorney General Ken Paxton alleged that Hollins does not have the authority under state law to carry out the plan, but there is no state law that specifically prohibits election officials from sending out mail-in ballot applications to all voters.

On Wednesday, in response to a lawsuit filed by the Harris County Republican Party, the Texas Supreme Court temporarily blocked the county from sending mail-in ballot applications to all its voters for the November election. bit.ly/32ND1ys

After being sued by Paxton, Hollins had said he would only send the applications to voters 65 and older, who are automatically eligible to vote by mail under state law, pending the litigation. A spokesperson said Wednesday that those plans haven't changed. houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/…

Though the fight over voting by mail in Texas previously focused chiefly on which voters should be eligible to cast ballots by mail, it has now expanded to include the disagreement over who can even receive the application to request a mail-in ballot.

Anyone can apply to vote by mail in the November election if they believe they are eligible. Deciding whether they are eligible is ultimately up to the voter.

More information about voting by mail here: bit.ly/3jGKrKT

This battle in Texas comes after President Donald Trump has spent several months attacking mail-in voting — something @vanitaguptaCR says voters of color could bear the brunt of. #TribFest20