Thread by @BrennanCenter

@TexasNAACP and @ADLSouthwest filed a petition in intervention in State of Texas v. Chris Hollins, a lawsuit seeking to block the Harris County clerk from sending election materials and resources, including ballot-by-mail applications, to the county’s registered voters.

The Texas Attorney General brought the case on August 31, arguing that the interim county clerk, Chris Hollins, lacks the legal authority to conduct the planned mailing. In fact, the clerk has clear authority to implement his plan.

The lawsuit also contends that the mailing will create confusion, and that it will facilitate fraud. The state doesn’t cite any evidence that the planned mailing will likely lead to fraud.

And the mailing will reduce, not foster, confusion, by including voter education materials explaining who is eligible to vote by mail and how to obtain a ballot by mail if one is eligible.

By sending ballot-by-mail applications to all registered voters, Harris County would provide easier access to a safe method of voting for high-risk populations for Covid-19.

The county’s planned mailing would also encourage voters eligible for mail ballots to submit their applications early, reducing the likelihood of application surges that could slow processing, and by providing accurate information about the changes in voting due to the pandemic.

.@TexasNAACP and @ADLSouthwest are represented in this case by the Brennan Center for Justice and Dechert LLP.

Harris County has 2.4 million registered voters and is the most populous county in Texas. It is also one of the nation’s most racially diverse counties.

“The Texas Attorney General claims the planned mailing will create confusion. In fact, it will reduce confusion. He claims it will facilitate fraud, yet he hasn’t provided any evidence. Why? Because there is no evidence,” said @myrna_perez_.

“The fact is, voting by mail is a safe, secure mode of casting a ballot that has long been a part of the Texas election system. Election officials across the state have been handling absentee ballots for decades.” - @myrna_perez_

Read more in our press release. brennancenter.org/our-work/analy…