Texas Supreme Court Stops Ballot-By-Mail Shenanigans in Harris County
We can all agree that 2020 has been a pretty crazy year so far. I can't imagine having to groundhog day this year all over again. No Way!
As lots of Texans will tell ya, we can't wait for the fall election to be over. It makes people crazy. I might go so far as to say it kinda brings out the worst in some people. The Texas Supreme Court slapped some hands in Harris County this morning by temporarily stopping the Clerk from sending ballot-by-mail-applications to all of the 2.4 million registered voters in the county.
Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins thought he could take it upon himself to send every registered voter in the county a ballot-by-mail application. The law in Texas is clear, and so is the process for who is allowed to vote by mail and under which circumstances it becomes an option. Clerk Hollins decided to take it upon himself to just mail everyone in the county a ballot-by-mail application.
The Texas Supreme Court got a laugh out of it and issued a stay. Hollins is also being sued by the Harris County Republican Party for trying to go around the law. What exactly is the law? It's very simple. You can apply to vote by mail under the following conditions:
- You will be away from the county of residence on Election Day and during the early voting period.
- You are sick or disabled.
- You will be 65 years of age or older on Election Day.
- You are confined in jail, but eligible to vote.
Hollins told click2Houston.com that it was "his duty" to mail out ballots to everyone in the county because his office is closed, meaning voters can't stop by and pick up the application. Are Clerk Hollins's feelings listed anywhere above? No, because his feelings are not a part of the law. Serving the public office usually means you inherit assigned responsibilities. Making them up on your own is a good way to get voted out. And possibly sued.