Voters can’t cite a lack of immunity to the coronavirus as a reason for getting a mail-in ballot, the court ruled.
Lacking immunity to the coronavirus doesn’t qualify Texans for mail-in ballots, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a setback for voting rights advocates as President Donald Trump and Republicans step up their opposition to measures aimed at expanding mail-in voting.... [+]
delegates are at stake as voters cast their ballots in 14 states and American Samoa on what is known as Super Tuesday.The court shot down an argument made by Democrats and civil rights groups that a lack of immunity to the coronavirus counts as a disability and therefore qualifies voters for mail-in ballots under Texas law.
Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton brought the lawsuit in an effort to stop local election officials from processing mail-in ballot applications citing coronavirus risks. However, the court ruled that the state cannot prevent clerks from approving applications, saying it is confident local officials will comply with the ruling “in good faith.”“We agree with the State that a voter’s lack of immunity to COVID-19, without more, is not a ‘disability’ as defined by the Election Code. But the State acknowledges that election officials have no responsibility to question or investigate a ballot application that is valid on its face,” the opinion reads.
“The Texas Supreme Court has ruled against those who would like to cast mail-in ballots in order to avoid having to go to crowded, public polling places to exercise their right to vote,” he tweeted. “And it did so remotely.”covering voting rights, said the measure benefits Republicans because voters 65 and older, who tend to vote conservative, can already qualify for a mail-in ballot without any other reason.
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