Breaking: The all-Republican Texas Supreme Court ruled that Harris County, the state’s most populous county and an important Democratic stronghold, can't send out applications for mail-in ballots to all of its registered voters. bit.ly/30ItubV
Texas sued in August to block County Clerk Chris Hollins from mailing the applications, arguing that doing so exceeded his legal authority and would cause confusion among voters, some of whom aren't eligible for mail-in ballots under Texas’ unusually strict criteria.
But Hollins argued that the planned mailers gave clear guidance on eligibility, and that encouraging absentee ballots where appropriate was integral to holding a safe election during the pandemic. bit.ly/3iFKXI0
Applications can be accessed online, and are often distributed by political campaigns, parties and other private organizations.

But the court ruled that for a government official to proactively send them oversteps his authority.
Turnout in Harris County, both major parties acknowledge, will have major impacts on races at the top of the ticket and the bottom of the ballot.

In 2018, 17% of the Democratic votes for Beto O’Rourke were cast in Harris County.
The county, home to 2.4 million registered voters, has made headlines recently in the wake of Gov. Greg Abbott's order to limit mail-in ballot drop-off locations to one per county, a move civil rights groups say will suppress voting. bit.ly/3leLr9U

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More from @TexasTribune

7 Oct
1/ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is facing accusations of criminal wrongdoing.

This is not the first controversy Paxton has faced. But this time, the accusations are coming from inside the state agency he leads. Here’s what you need to know.

bit.ly/30GuvkN
2/ First reported by the @statesman and @KVUE on Saturday, seven senior aides told law enforcement they believe Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton may have committed crimes including bribery and abuse of office.

bit.ly/2SubMUZ
3/ Ken Paxton, a Republican, has served as the attorney general of Texas since 2015.

Five years ago he was indicted on felony charges of securities fraud, but he has yet to go to trial due to several side battles over procedural issues.
bit.ly/34z2o8b
Read 10 tweets
7 Oct
Breaking: The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that early voting in Texas can begin Oct. 13, following the timeline that Gov. Greg Abbott laid out months ago. bit.ly/36GA5re
In July, Abbott ordered that early voting begin nearly a week earlier than usual, a response to the pandemic.

But a number of prominent Republicans asked the Texas Supreme Court to limit in-person and absentee voting options for Harris County voters. bit.ly/2GLZnck
The state’s highest civil court, which is entirely held by Republicans, ruled that the Republican officials who sued waited until the last minute to do so.
Read 4 tweets
5 Oct
🚨 Today is the last day to register to vote in Texas! 🚨

Check out our voter resource guide to make sure you’re prepared for the election: bit.ly/33QsKlB #tx2020 #txlege
You can’t register to vote online to vote in Texas.

You can print out the online application here and mail it to the voter registrar in your county: vrapp.sos.state.tx.us/index.asp

*Applications must be postmarked by the Oct. 5 deadline.*
You can also find a voter registration application at county voter registrars’ offices, post offices, government offices or high schools.
Read 5 tweets
1 Oct
.@GovAbbott ordered Texas counties to reduce the number of ballot dropoff locations to one per county. An unprecedented number of absentee ballots are expected to be cast this fall.

Civil rights groups say it's an attempt to suppress voting. bit.ly/2Snwm9n
Harris County, the state’s most populous and a major Democratic stronghold, had designated a dozen locations where voters could deliver their own ballots — and already began collecting them this week.
In Travis County, also a major Democratic stronghold, officials had designated four locations where voters could deliver their ballots.
Read 8 tweets
26 Sep
1/ Native American tribe members say mistrust of the government and a history of erasure of indigenous people have contributed to low voter participation by tribe members.

This year they're are rallying to increase voter turnout.
texastribune.org/2020/09/25/tex…
2/ Cecelia Flores, chairperson for the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe, said most people in her community don’t see how the federal government impacts what they prioritize most: work and livelihood.

texastribune.org/2020/09/25/tex…
3/ But recently, an electronic bingo facility run by the tribe was threatened with closure when conflicting federal laws raised questions.

A federal bill was filed to protect the facility, but was opposed by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican.
texastribune.org/2020/09/25/tex…
Read 8 tweets
25 Sep
Breaking: A U.S. district judge has blocked Texas from eliminating straight-ticket voting as an option for people at the polls this November.

Straight-ticket voting allows voters to register support for all of their parties’ candidates with a single vote. bit.ly/3iZGyke
Opponents have argued removing straight-ticket voting would disproportionately impact voters living in large counties — with more voters of color — where the ballot is longer. bit.ly/3iZGyke
The move to nix straight-ticket voting was championed by Republicans who say removing the option will force voters to make more informed decisions in individual elections. bit.ly/3iZGyke
Read 5 tweets

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