Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton gave this statement following Wednesday’s bench ruling by the Travis County District Court to expand mail-in ballot voting in Travis County for upcoming Texas elections:
“I am disappointed that the district court ignored the plain text of the Texas Election Code to allow perfectly healthy voters to take advantage of special protections made available to Texans with actual illness or disabilities. This unlawful expansion of mail-in voting will only serve to undermine the security and integrity of our elections and to facilitate fraud. Mail ballots based on disability are specifically reserved for those who are legitimately ill and cannot vote in-person without needing assistance or jeopardizing their health. Fear of contracting COVID-19 does not amount to a sickness or physical condition as required by state law. My office will continue to defend Texas’s election laws to ensure that our elections are fair and our democratic process is lawfully maintained.”
For information on the spread or treatment of Coronavirus (COVID-19), please visit the Texas Department of State Health Services website.