The ‘spread of the virus has not given “unelected federal judges” a roving commission to rewrite state election codes…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that Texans cannot request mail-in voting ballots simply because of coronavirus-related concerns.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously blocked a ruling from a federal judge last month that would have allowed Texas voters to request absentee ballots if they did not want to vote in person due to the coronavirus.
In his opinion, the judge argued that the “spread of the virus has not given ‘unelected federal judges’ a roving commission to rewrite state election codes.”
There’s a reason Texas requires in-person voting, said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and that reason is the legitimate threat of voter fraud that accompanies widespread mail-in voting.
“Allowing universal mail-in ballots, which are particularly vulnerable to fraud, would only lead to greater election fraud and disenfranchise lawful voters,” Paxton said in a statement.
BREAKING: Great work by the Fifth Circuit for staying the federal court’s erroneous decision and preventing widespread mail-in balloting while the case proceeds.
Allowing universal mail-in ballots, which are particularly vulnerable to fraud, would only lead more fraud.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) June 4, 2020
Texas Democrats have been trying to expand the state’s mail-in voting system, using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to do so.
Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa responded to the 5th Circuit’s ruling and claimed that “the option to vote by mail” should be considered a right.
“The Constitution prohibits divvying up our rights by our age, gender, or race,” he said. “Judges are obviously disagreeing with one another about this important issue. Ultimately, we’re going to need direction from the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Paxton, however, said the Democrats’ disagreement is unwarranted: “The law is pretty clear,” he said. “It doesn’t allow for people to get mail-in ballots for fear of coronavirus or anything else, fear of being hit by a car on the way to vote. We trust our voters to do the right thing.”