[direwolf]

Finally a much needed win for democracy in Texas. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Abbott inevitably appeals the decision.



https://www.vox.com/2020/10/10/21506...e-block-abbott

A federal judge has blocked a Texas order that limited the number of drop-off locations for mail-in ballots to one per county.


That order was put in place on October 1 by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott when he issued a proclamation that allowed for only one drop-off location in each of Texas’s 254 counties, regardless of population or geographic size. Abbott cited election security as a justification for the order. But it eliminated multiple drop-off sites available for Texans; for instance, Harris County — the third most populous county in the country — had to shut 11 of its 12 drop-off sites.


Abbott’s decision immediately drew legal challenges from advocates and voting rights groups, who sued to reinstate the drop-off locations, arguing that Abbott changing procedures in the middle of the election — after people have already started requesting their ballots — put an unreasonable burden on voters and ultimately undermined faith in the electoral process at this late stage.


US District Court Judge Robert Pitman sided with those groups, saying that Abbott’s order put an undue burden on older voters and voters with disabilities, who make up the majority of absentee voters in Texas. Pitman wrote that Abbott’s restrictions would cause “absentee voters, if they choose not to return their ballots in person to avoid exposure to Covid-19, to face the risk that their ballots will not be counted if the USPS is unable to timely deliver their ballot after it’s been requested or unable to timely return their completed ballot.”


“These burdens fall disproportionately on voters who are elderly, disabled, or live in larger counties,” Pitman wrote.

Friday’s decision was a victory for voters, and for advocates and some county clerks in Texas, who wanted to see the drop-off locations reinstated. The governor’s office is likely to appeal the decision. (Vox contacted Abbott’s office for comment, and we will update when we hear back.) So the fight over these drop-off locations is not quite over, and the final outcome could make a difference in how easy it is for Texans — particularly older ones — to vote in this unprecedented election year.