Texas Supreme Court allows longer early voting period

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – The Texas Supreme Court has rejected a request to limit the early voting period.

Several top Texas Republicans, including state party chair Allen West, challenged Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive ordering extending the early voting period because of COVID-19.   They argued that the governor defied state election law.

Early voting originally was scheduled to begin October 19, but in July, Abbott issued a proclamation extending  it six days from  Oct. 13-30 because of the pandemic.

“The election is already underway,” Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht said in his opinion Wednesday. “To disrupt the long-planned election procedures as relators would have the Court do would threaten voter confusion.”

The State Supreme court also shot down the Harris County Clerk’s plan to send unsolicited mail ballot applications to all 2 million registered voters in that county.

To be eligible to vote by mail in Texas, you must be be 65 years or older, be sick or disabled, be out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting or be confined in jail, but otherwise eligible to vote.

The deadline to apply for a mail in ballot in Texas is Oct. 23.