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Abbott's order on ballot drop boxes is glaring voter suppression, lawsuit alleges

SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

Saturday, December 21, 2024

Abbott's order on ballot drop boxes is glaring voter suppression, lawsuit alleges

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Abbott

AUSTIN - Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to restrict each county in Texas to one secure  ballot drop box is unconstitutional and a direct act of voter  suppression, a lawsuit filed  today against Abbott and Texas Secretary of State Ruth Hughs argues.  

The lawsuit challenges the Oct. 1 order to permit only one secure ballot  drop box in each county, and claims it places an excessive burden on  the fundamental right to vote for all Texans.  

“Now  is not the time for Texas officials to roll back the common-sense steps  necessary to protect the fundamental right to vote,” said John Powers,  an attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.  “Shuttering secure ballot drop-off locations that were already open and  operating is a direct act of voter suppression.  Governor Abbott is  trying to silence the voices of Texans wishing to cast their vote on the  eve of a major election.” 

The litigation, Texas State Conference of the NAACP v. Abbott, was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas Austin Division. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and  the law firm Ropes & Gray is representing the Texas NAACP. The  lawsuit seeks a court order that will permit county election  administrators to establish more than one location for ballot drop-boxes  in each county, and prohibit Abbott or any other election official in  Texas from taking actions that will prevent this.    

The  lawsuit points out that Harris and Travis Counties were already  operating secure absentee ballot drop-off locations that had already  accepted absentee ballots and had to be closed as a result of Governor  Abbott’s order.  The complaint alleges that long lines have already  formed at Harris County’s sole drop-off location, NRG Stadium, and that  additional demand for ballot drop boxes is justified given the mounting  delays and ongoing problems with the United States Postal Service. In  addition, Abbott himself noted how the COVID-19 pandemic would cause  changes to our election administration, and issued a proclamation extend  early voting and other vote-by-mail options in July.   

“We  are deeply saddened by the necessity of filing this lawsuit. Our  organization looks with astonishment at this egregious action that will  suppress the vote while at the same time cause the public to have  greater exposure to a dangerous virus that has already overwhelmed our  State,” said Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP. “We would have  hoped that the clear danger to the public inherent in this change would  have dissuaded state officials from doing this.” 

The  U.S. Election Assistance Commission currently recommends on ballot  drop-box location for every 20,000 registered voters. Abbott’s order  will disproportionately impact the state’s Black and Latino community,  due to their concentration in the state’s most populous areas.  

“Free  and fair elections are critical to our democracy; the Governor’s order  impinges on that privilege by changing the rules of the process at the  eleventh hour,” said John Montgomery, an attorney with Ropes & Gray. 

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