Texas Governor Sued Over Extension of Early Voting Period

By Mary Anne R. First Posted: Sep 24, 2020 03:13 AM EDT

Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott is facing a lawsuit over his decision to extend the early voting period for the November election.

Prominent members of his party sued Abbott, including state party Chair Allen West, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, and members of the Texas Legislature.

In July, Abbott has added six days to the early voting period. Thus, it moved the start date up to Oct. 13 from Oct. 19, citing the coronavirus pandemic.

As stated in the lawsuit filed on Wednesday with the state Supreme Court, Abbott's critics said the move defied election law, which requires early voting to start on the 17th day before the election.

It is the latest legal challenge to the governor's emergency powers that he has wielded aggressively in dealing with the pandemic.

"Governor Abbott seems to have forgotten that the Texas Constitution is not a document that he consults at his convenience," Jared Woodfill, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a report.

Woodfill noted that it is an uninterrupted charter of governmental structure that limits Abbott's ability to "act as a king."

The plaintiffs also argued that Abbott needs to consult the Legislature before making such a decision. They also said that if ever a special session was justified, "now is the time."

Houston conservative activist Steve Hotze is one of the plaintiffs. Hotze launched many lawsuits against Abbott's coronavirus response that have seen minimal success so far.

In the lawsuit, he is joined not only by West and Miller, but also three state senators and four state representatives. The chairman of the Harris County party, Keith Nielsen, and the Republican National Committeeman from Texas, Robin Armstrong, is also included.

Abbott earlier said in a statement that as they respond to COVID-19, Texas's state is focused on strategies that preserve the people's ability to vote while mitigating the spread of the virus.

"By extending the early voting period and expanding the period in which mail-in ballots can be hand-delivered, Texans will have greater flexibility to cast their ballots," Abbott noted.

Abbott added that Texans could vote while at the same time protecting themselves and others from getting exposed to the virus.

Reports said that by enforcing an early voting decision, Abbott gave voters more time to turn in their mail-in ballots in person if they choose to do so. Usually, voters are allowed to submit their ballots to the early voting clerk's office in person instead of mailing them in.

The lawsuit filed also seeks to stop the extended period of submitting mail ballots in person.

The party's lawsuit comes when Republican lawmakers across the country are pushing for more measures to limit mail-in ballots and early voting.

West noted that the more they expand the time, place, and manner that people can vote, the more opportunity for corruption.

President Donald Trump and other Republican party members have repeatedly said that mail-in voting is unsafe. They claimed it could lead to invalid election results.

Many Americans usually vote by mail and avoid the polls on Election Day. Meanwhile, Abbott's office could not immediately be reached for comment.