Texas Attorney General Asks State Supreme Court to Chime in on Ballot by Mail

DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – The legal battle over mail in voting during the coronavirus pandemic continues in Texas.

Several local governments in Texas, including the City of Dallas, have passed measures allowing voters to cast a ballot by mail if they’re concerned about contracting COVID-19 at the polls. But, the state Attorney General’s Office claims mail in voting increases the chance of voter fraud.

“In person voting is the surest way to prevent voter fraud,” said Marc Ryalnder with the Attorney General’s Office.

Attorney General Ken Paxton  filed a petition with the Texas Supreme Court, requesting that the court compel the early-voting clerks for Dallas, Cameron, El Paso, Harris and Travis Counties to follow Texas law on mail-in ballots.

According to Paxton, Texas law generally requires in-person voting, and allows mail balloting for certain limited groups, including those who are disabled.

“Each misapplication of Texas election law damages the integrity of our elections and increases the risk of voter fraud. In-person voting is the surest way to prevent voter fraud and guarantee that every voter is who they claim to be and has a fair opportunity to cast their vote,” said Paxton. “It is unfortunate that certain county election officials have refused to perform their duties and have instead unlawfully gone beyond the Legislature’s determination of who is eligible to vote by mail. My office will continue to defend the integrity of Texas’s election laws.”

Paxton said that fear of contracting COVID-19 is a non-physical reaction to the current pandemic and does not amount to a sickness or physical condition that qualifies a voter to receive a ballot by mail.

Listen to Clayton Neville’s story below: