XPost: alt.coronavirus, alt.politics.elections, sac.politics   
   XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   From: NoEmail@ever.com   
      
   On 4/18/20 9:22 AM, Bradley K. Sherman wrote:   
   > Washington, DC (CNN)A Texas judge on Friday ruled that all   
   > registered voters in the state should be allowed to request and   
   > use mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic.   
   >   
   > District Judge Tim Sulak, in a ruling filed Friday in Travis   
   > County, issued a temporary injunction that eases the definition   
   > of "disability" in Texas' vote-by-mail provision, making it   
   > apply to all registered voters who fear for their health in   
   > casting ballots in person for the state's upcoming elections.   
   >   
   > Texas' election code defines "disability" as "a sickness or   
   > physical condition that prevents the voter from appearing at the   
   > polling place on election day without a likelihood of needing   
   > personal assistance or of injuring the voter's health." Voters   
   > who meet this definition and wish to vote by mail must submit   
   > applications.   
   >   
   > Sulak acknowledged during a court hearing on Wednesday that he   
   > expects an appeal from the state attorney's office, which has   
   > issued guidance that fear of Covid-19 does not qualify as a   
   > disability.   
   >   
   > "Moreover the evidence shows that voters and these Plaintiffs   
   > ... are reasonable that voting in person while the virus that   
   > causes Covid-19 is still in general circulation presents a   
   > likelihood of injuring their health, and any voters without   
   > established immunity meet the plain language definition of   
   > disability thereby entitling them to a mailed ballot," the order   
   > read.   
   >   
   > In late March, Gov. Greg Abbott postponed dozens of election   
   > runoffs statewide for party nominations to congressional and   
   > local offices, set for May 26, until July 14. The new date was   
   > made to coincide with a competitive special election for a Texas   
   > state Senate seat. In issuing the delay, Abbott didn't weigh in   
   > on whether to expand mail-in voting access.   
   >   
   > In a separate ruling on Friday, Sulak also aligned the dates for   
   > early voting for the special election and the runoff to July 6-   
   > 10.   
   >   
   > The Texas Democratic Party, the original plaintiff in the case,   
   > rushed to declare victory after leaving court on Wednesday, in   
   > anticipation of the court ruling in their favor. The group   
   > argued that Covid-19 posed a significant health threat to voters   
   > if they were forced to cast ballots in person.   
   >   
   > "We cannot allow this public health crisis to be the death of   
   > our democracy when it is taking so many of our loved ones,"   
   > Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said in a press   
   > release.   
   >   
   > "Our state is better off when more Texans participate in our   
   > democracy. Voting by mail is safe, secure, and accessible. It   
   > allows more voters to participate in our democracy, and it's a   
   > commonsense way to run an election, especially during a public   
   > health crisis," Hinojosa added.   
   >   
   > "We just won a preliminary injunction in Texas. All voters get   
   > to vote by mail in the primary. No individualized excuses   
   > necessary. The coronavirus is a universal excuse. GREAT WORK,"   
   > David Cole, national legal director for the ACLU, said Wednesday   
   > in a Twitter post.   
   >   
   > In response, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in a statement   
   > late Wednesday, expressed disappointment, saying in part that   
   > the district court had ignored the plain text of the state   
   > election code in order to allow healthy voters to take advantage   
   > of special protections made available to Texans with illnesses   
   > or disabilities.   
   >   
   > "This unlawful expansion of mail-in voting will only serve to   
   > undermine the security and integrity of our elections and to   
   > facilitate fraud. ... My office will continue to defend Texas's   
   > election laws to ensure that our elections are fair and our   
   > democratic process is lawfully maintained," Paxton, a   
   > Republican, said in the statement.   
   >   
   > The Texas state attorney's office, in response to the court   
   > ruling, filed a notice of appeal late Friday.   
   >   
   > cnn.com/2020/04/17/politics/texas-voting-by-mail-disability-   
   > coronavirus/index.html   
   >   
      
      
      
   It's ok for #WuHanDon to use absent voting though.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)