Governor Abbott Sued Over Ballot Drop Off Location Restrictions

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott is being taken to court over his proclamation surrounding mail-in voting.

Earlier this week, the Governor limited each Texas County to one drop off location for mail in ballot’s in next month’s Presidential election. He said the move is intended to help stop illegal voting.

Late Thursday, the League of Women Voters of Texas, the League of United Latin American Citizens, LULAC Texas, and two individual voters filed a lawsuit against  Abbott for his proclamation.

“To limit ballot drop off locations this close to the election, and as voting has already begun, is voter suppression, plain and simple,” said Grace Chimene, president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. “In a presidential election year with massive voter interest during a deadly pandemic, Texas should be focused on expanding safe voting options this year.”

The groups claim that the Governor’s move has a disproportionate impact on the Black and Latinx communities due to their concentration in the state’s most populous metro areas of Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas-Fort Worth.

“As many states are expanding ballot drop off options to ensure voter confidence this year, it is vile to see Texas’s attempts to do the opposite,” said Celina Stewart, senior director of advocacy and litigation for the League of Women Voters of the United States. “Many voters are understandably nervous that their mailed ballots may be delayed—especially in a state like Texas, where ballots must be received, not postmarked, on Election Day. This eleventh-hour attempt to disenfranchise voters is despicable. Drop boxes and drop-off locations where voters can safely hand deliver their ballots are the best solution to reassure voters that their ballots will count.”

The League of Women Voters and partners are represented by Campaign Legal Center.

Listen to Clayton Neville’s story below:

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