Washington Post: Voting rights advocates sue to block Texas governor’s order limiting counties to one ballot drop-off location

Washington Post: Voting rights advocates sue to block Texas governor’s order limiting counties to one ballot drop-off location

Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, said in a statement that in Harris County, “reducing 11 drop off locations to only 1 severely limits voting access and forces people to choose between voting and their health.” The county, which includes Houston, comprises 1,777 square miles.

Voting rights advocates have filed suit against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, contending that his new order limiting mail-ballot drop-off locations to one per county burdens voters and “undermines the public’s confidence in the election itself.”

The complaint, filed late Thursday in federal court, seeks to block enforcement of an order Abbott (R) issued Thursday and to allow counties to offer multiple ballot drop-off locations ahead of a projected rise in mail voting during the general election.

The increase is expected despite state GOP officials’ success in maintaining strict eligibility limits on mail voting during the coronavirus pandemic. The state is one of only five that is prohibiting voters fearful of exposure to the virus from casting mail ballots this fall. …

Comprising 254 counties and more than 260,000 square miles of land, area-wise Texas is the largest of the Lower 48 states. More than 70 of its counties exceed 1,000 square miles; the largest, Brewster County, contains roughly 6,200 square miles. …

Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, said in a statement that in Harris County, “reducing 11 drop off locations to only 1 severely limits voting access and forces people to choose between voting and their health.” The county, which includes Houston, comprises 1,777 square miles.