General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBREAKING: Gov. Abbott issues proclamation CLOSING (as of Oct. 2) satellite offices where voters can
Counties can only have 1 dropoff point, he says.
Travis has 4, including 3 downtown.
Harris has 12.
Abbott says move, which also requires early voting clerks to let poll watchers observe ballot delivery, is an election security measure.
Clerks said the multiple dropoff spots were to help voters, particularly amid questions about Postal Service efficiency.
Link to tweet
Link to tweet
dalton99a
(81,569 posts)AleksS
(1,665 posts)even they realize that theyre the baddies?
I would have imagined blatantly trying to make it harder for people to vote would be a clue. But nope.
Crunchy Frog
(26,629 posts)He probably keeps a mustache at home just for twirling.
Caliman73
(11,744 posts)Conservatives believe that they are rightly ordained to rule. Conservative ideology is the descendent of the monarchy and aristocracy of old. They truly believe that they are ordained to rule because why else would the be rich and powerful if not because god wanted them to be in charge.
They have a large capacity to delude themselves into thinking that their suppression of voters and use of their power to subvert democracy is for the best.
They likely will never see that they are in fact, the bad actors in this situation.
madaboutharry
(40,219 posts)demmiblue
(36,875 posts)Link to tweet
yellowdogintexas
(22,270 posts)There is ONE location for hand delivering a ballot if one does not want to vote in person: the ELections Office. This is according to the Texas Election Code and has been in force for a long time
The only new part of the Governor's proclamation was the postponment of the runoff elections, the extension of Early Voting an extra 5 days, plus ballots can be taken to Elections Office during the entire Early voting period. Until this year, voters could only turn in these ballots on Election Day.
If one does hand deliver the ballot, one is essentially voting in person so ID is required.
The voter goes to the Elections Office, shows ID and turns in the ballot, which goes on to be counted.
Most personally delivered ballots happen because the voters waited too long to mail it in; this year we have USPS issues and COVID to the Elections Office, and we expect a heavy turnout.
If the ballot is brought to a regular voting location, it can't just be dropped off. Instead, you are checked in with ID as you would if you did not have a mail in ballot, you surrender the ballot and go vote on the equipment. The unvoted mail in ballots go back to the Elections Office.
This also is nothing new; I have been doing it for 5 years as an Election Judge.
There is no "drop box" at the voting centers (or anywhere else)
We have always had to show ID when we turn in a mail in ballot at the ELections Office or surrender it at the polls
It is highly unlikely poll watchers will be hanging about the Elections Office to watch folks hand a sealed ballot over to a clerk
Poll watchers in TX are required to register with the ELections Office, will be asked to sign in at the voting center, and will be issued a badge which identifies them as poll watchers. There are very strict rules about what they can or cannot do. Election Judges will not allow them to intimidate or aggravate the voters. In the five years I have served as an Elections Worker I have never seen a Poll Watcher.
If anyone tries to pose as a poll watcher, or pull any stunts and hassle voters, they will be shown the door and if they refuse, law enforcement will arrive shortly.
I am far more concerned with bad actors showing up outside the 100 foot marker and causing a ruckus out there.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)Theres no evidence that a higher number of drop-off locations increases the probability of fraud, but Abbott is doing this, regardless, to quell his and his partys irrational fears.
Irrational fears ... the bedrock of the Republican Party. I am really sick of these emotionally-undeveloped children.
-Laelth
Tommymac
(7,263 posts)Been going on the 6+ decades of my life.
The 'Thugs are a minority party - always have been always will be. It is in their best self-interest to suppress the vote - it's the best way they can maintain their minority rule.
When Dems turn out Dems win. It's just that today We have to turn out in huge numbers to overcome the sophistication of modern suppression methods.
We desperately have to return to the principle of Majority Rule in this country or the American Experiment will come to an inglorious and sad end.
Caliman73
(11,744 posts)It has been well known in Republican circles that decreasing the amount of participation in voting by the average citizen is a key to retaining power for them.
Republican policies are geared almost entirely for the wealthiest people. Even with their culture wars, they can only activate about 30% or slightly more, of the population consistently. They are a small bloc, but reliable; so they have to find ways to suppress the vote of the much larger, but much less motivated, group of voters who support more egalitarian policies of the Democratic Party. Making it even slightly harder to vote, and the constant lies and smears about "socialism" and the "radical left" coming to take your job, your guns, your families, your ability to speak your mind (aka be racist without consequence)... and there you have it.
They know there is no voter fraud to speak of. They know that if there are any election shenanigans like elections fraud, that typically it is Republicans who are engaged. They know all of this. They are not afraid of fraud. They count on it to combat what they are really afraid of, everyone who can vote, actually voting.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)Faux pas
(14,690 posts)Just like the rest of the soulless rethugs.
greenjar_01
(6,477 posts)C_U_L8R
(45,019 posts)The despots are showing their desperation.
OnDoutside
(19,969 posts)Botany
(70,567 posts)... hard time not striking down that order.
Btw why are they making it so hard to vote?
I see a BIG BLUE BEAUTIFUL TEXAS this fall.
MontanaMama
(23,337 posts)NOW.
jorgevlorgan
(8,327 posts)Would most people be able to drive to he one drop off location?
jpljr77
(1,004 posts)But it looks like that is being reduced to one, mostly likely in downtown Houston, the 4th largest city in the U.S.
To use the phrase of the week, this is going to be a shitshow (by design).
jorgevlorgan
(8,327 posts)jpljr77
(1,004 posts)such a huge problem. Dallas is a little better because it and Fort Worth actually cross several counties, all of which are much smaller than Harris County.
But yes, for the record, the Governor of Texas signed a proclamation ordering one ballot dropoff location for a county of 4 million people covering 1,700 square miles. It's unimaginable.
demmiblue
(36,875 posts)Mersky
(4,986 posts)Harris County is huge by geographic and population measures. He wants every voter to travel and park in downtown to drop off ballots? Does he even know the state he is supposed to govern?
Thinking of various other counties, hes gonna fck up the vote in all sorts of places. The hateful, short-sighted idiot is going to harm all voters in the state.
demmiblue
(36,875 posts)tibbir
(1,170 posts)Could be pretty freaking tough to get to 1 drop off location. PLUS we have to show our ID when we do drop off - I can only imagine how long the lines will be. Asshole.
yellowdogintexas
(22,270 posts)Harris County Houston metro 4th largest in the nation
Fort/Worth Dallas
San Antonio
Austin
El Paso
if the Fort Worth Dallas Metroplex were considered one city the population would be around 7 million.
qazplm135
(7,447 posts)Of losing Texas.
LisaL
(44,974 posts)It ain't as red as it used to be.
11 Bravo
(23,926 posts)Celerity
(43,487 posts)Paladin
(28,271 posts)FelineOverlord
(3,590 posts)littlemissmartypants
(22,747 posts)usaf-vet
(6,200 posts).. and the asshole knows it!
yellowdogintexas
(22,270 posts)at least we can take them in throughout the voting period instead of only on Election Day as in the past
Our early voting has been extended an extra 5 days.
We can vote at any location on Election Day in many of our counties.
Tarrant county has 300 voting locations on Election Day and a voter can go to any of them. There will be plenty of places to vote. All the high population counties now have this system. No worries about too few places to vote.
ananda
(28,875 posts).. during early voting.
yellowdogintexas
(22,270 posts)it will make things go much smoother at the polls.
ananda
(28,875 posts)I will.
BeckyDem
(8,361 posts)These creeps love Trump's America and intend to keep it that way.
mac56
(17,574 posts)iluvtennis
(19,868 posts)kimbutgar
(21,181 posts)For Biden and Democratic candidates.
yellowdogintexas
(22,270 posts)They are sealed when they go in and numbers are not run until Election Day and we don't register by party so how are they going to know?
NO one knows those numbers until Election day.
Look I hate Abbott and the whole Republican state government.
You have no idea how much.
We far to much to get done in the next month to run off the rails about Abbot enforcing a part of the Texas Election Code.
kimbutgar
(21,181 posts)BSdetect
(8,999 posts)Changes like this ought to be prohibited after early voting starts.
Lonestarblue
(10,053 posts)Limiting drop boxes to one per county will just force more voters to vote in person or many may choose not to vote at all. Harris County (Houston) has a population of more than 4 million people, now with one drop box. King County Texas has a population of under 500 peoplewith one drop box for the county. Abbotts action is blatant voter suppression.
In addition, Texas has closed more polling sites than any other state, and of course theyre in primarily Latino and Black areas.
Last year, Texas led the US south in an unenviable statistic: closing down the most polling stations, making it more difficult for people to vote and arguably benefiting Republicans.
A report by civil rights group The Leadership Conference Education Fund found that 750 polls had been closed statewide since 2012.
...
The closures could exacerbate Texass already chronically low voter turnout rates, to the advantage of incumbent Republicans. Ongoing research by University of Houston political scientists Jeronimo Cortina and Brandon Rottinghaus indicates that people are less likely to vote if they have to travel farther to do so, and the effect is disproportionately greater for some groups of voters, such as Latinxs.
The Guardian article has an interactive chart showing the number of people per polling site and how that number has increased in many areas.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/02/texas-polling-sites-closures-voting
Illumination
(2,458 posts)So tired of all this f***ery! Will have NO sympathy for the wrath that awaits these cheating republicans...
cayugafalls
(5,643 posts)The only game they have is to cheat and suppress voting.
They are criminals and losers and need to be voted out of office. Texas will go blue, if not this time, then next. It will happen.
LiberalFighter
(51,054 posts)C Moon
(12,221 posts)And this time it's not going to be like it was after Bush and Cheney left office: we're coming after you, and you will do federal time.
Prince99
(53 posts)I think this is where we are headed. I picked it up from an earlier thread.
THEY DO NOT FEAR FRAUD. THEY FEAR DEMOCRACY!
sdfernando
(4,940 posts)to squeak out a win.
onetexan
(13,057 posts)been so bz all day i just now found out. Pissed!!! Hoping the challenge w/ win. This is outright voter suppression by Rethugs
bluestarone
(17,025 posts)I'm sure everyone here is proud of you as well!! I would be so fucking mad if i lived in that state (county) i just gotta give you ALL a big hat tip. TY all. WE NEED TEXAS!!!
RussBLib
(9,034 posts)asap
this is just raw power against the densely populated Dem cities
sue for an injunction