Texas Extends Early Voting Period

AUSTIN, TX — Gov. Greg Abbott this week extended the early voting period for the Nov. 3 elections by nearly a week to accommodate logistical challenges posed by the coronavirus.

Under the governor's proclamation issued on Monday, early voting by personal appearance will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 13, and continue through Friday, Oct. 30. The proclamation also expands the period in which marked mail-in ballots may be delivered in person to the early voting clerk’s office, allowing such delivery prior to as well as on Election Day, the governor's office added.

"As we respond to COVID-19, the State of Texas is focused on strategies that preserve Texans’ ability to vote in a way that also mitigates the spread of the virus,"Abbott said in a prepared statement. "By extending the early voting period and expanding the period in which mail-in ballots can be hand-delivered, Texans will have greater flexibility to cast their ballots, while at the same time protecting themselves and others from COVID-19."

View the Governor's Proclamation

Those wanting to apply for a mail-in ballot can visit the Texas Secretary of State website. However, those wanting to vote by mail should thoroughly check for their eligibility status for the option. The GOP has vigorously opposed Democratic efforts to expand the option for those seeking to avoid crowds during the coronavirus pandemic.

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The U.S. Supreme Court last month rejected an initial bid by state Democrats to expand voting by mail to all Texas voters during the coronavirus pandemic, as the Texas Tribune reported. To that end, Justice Samuel Alito issued the court's denial of a Texas Democratic Party request to let a federal district judge's order to expand mail-in voting take effect while the case is on appeal.

Related stories:

• Coronavirus: Texas Attorney General Seeks To Block Mail-In Voting
• Texas Attorney General Warns Against Mail-In Balloting
  
• Texas AG Appeals Ruling Allowing Mail-In Voting

Previously, in May, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ruled Texas must allow all voters fearful of becoming infected at polling places to vote by mail even if they wouldn’t ordinarily qualify for mail-in ballots under state election law., and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed Biery's order while Texas appealed the ruling.

Under current law, mail-in ballots are available only if voters are 65 or older, cite a disability or illness, will be out of the county during the election period or are confined in jail.