Protecting the Safety and Rights of Voters
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September 11,2020 A safe, secure, efficient, accessible, and fair voting process for every registered voter has always been the goal of Chris Hollins since he was appointed as Harris County Clerk. His office is committed to inclusivity because he believes the “right to vote is fundamental to what it means to be free and have a voice in our democracy.” With that in mind, Hollins has proposed mailing applications to vote by mail to all registered voters that are 65 years old and up regardless if they requested the application or not. Republicans have a big problem with that and have filed two lawsuits to put a stop to it.
According to the Harris County Clerk’s website, part of the role of the Harris County Clerk is to be the administrator of elections and work with the Commissioners Court, the Tax Assessor Collector, the major political parties, and other stakeholders to establish an elections infrastructure that facilitates access to the voting process to the citizenry of the third largest county in the United States. Since taking office after Dr. Diane Trautman stepped down due to personal health concerns surrounding COVID, Hollins’ top priority has been to make sure every registered voter has the opportunity to vote and that they can do it safely.
“We are living in a challenging time. This November, our office will administer the most consequential election of our lifetime amid a global health pandemic. The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy, and I will work tirelessly to ensure that Harris County residents can exercise that right safely, conveniently, and with the peace of mind that their vote will be counted,” said Hollins.
In making sure he kept that promise, Hollins sent out close to 380,000 vote by mail ballot applications in June to every registered voter 65 years old and up for the July runoffs. He wants to do that again for the November elections.
Why Republicans Have A Problem
Texas is one of seven states that do not allow the universal right of all voters to be deemed eligible to vote by mail. Currently, the eligibility requirements to vote by mail are:
*Be 65 years or older by Election Day
*Be outside of Harris County for all of the entire Early Voting
period and on Elections Day
*Be confined in jail, but otherwise eligible to vote
*Have a disability
Being disabled is the point that does not sit well with the Texas GOP and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The term disability is very broadly defined in Texas. The election code dictates that a voter must have a “sickness or physical condition” that hinders them from voting in person as a disability. A voter would need another reason besides the fear of getting COVID to vote by mail. The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that a weakened immune system plus their medical history could meet the disability criteria and make the said voter eligible to cast their vote via mail. The problem for Republicans is the way Texas’ elections guidelines are set the voter is the one, not a medical professional, determining if they qualify for being a person with a disability.
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Jo-Carolyn Goodeeditorial@stylemagazine.com7133205611
