In March the Texas Democratic Party filed a lawsuit against the Texas Secretary of State and Travis County Elections in Travis County District Court. The lawsuit asks that eligible voters be allowed to vote by mail, in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
“The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy, and we must do everything we can to protect and expand that right, instead of bringing our democratic process to a halt.”
Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement to the press.
The COVID-19 crises has many voters calling for expanded access ahead of the November presidential election. After weeks of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders, Americans still worry about returning to the packed polls.
One solution, as proposed by Democrats and voting rights experts, advocates for the ability to vote by mail. Many state and national Republicans, including Texas Senator John Cornyn, are in opposition of this development. Cornyn is instead an advocate for extending early voting. Earlier/expanded voting may decrease the number of people in and around voting stations.
Congressional Democrats are pushing for additional budget to expand absentee voting, but have gotten just a fraction approved. Some states, such as Georgia, have gotten approval to cast their ballots by mail, which sets a precedent that Texas may be able to follow.
The Texas Democratic Party continues to extend their ongoing fight against voter suppression. Just last week they filled another federal lawsuit in San Antonio. They argue that holding traditional elections would be unconstitutional. The next course of action should be the expansion of absentee voting.
Here at Forester Haynie, we’re hopeful that the Texas Democratic Party will be successful in increasing access to absentee ballots for this election.
To read more about what we’re currently fighting for here at FH, please check out our current cases.
