Texas rejects hundreds of mail ballot applications under new voting limits By Joseph Ax

 

In Georgia, republicans have mandated that drop boxes for mail-in ballots be moved inside, instead of at the curb.  I have a friend who has a hard time walking because of nerve damage affecting a foot, and this will make it harder on her.  And of course, having to come inside makes people more exposed to Covid and other viruses, and she is more at risk for this, too.

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/texas-rejects-hundreds-mail-ballot-applications-under-new-voting-limits-2022-01-18/

 

By Joseph Ax

January 18, 20227:00 PM EST

Texas election officials have rejected hundreds of mail-in ballot applications, abiding by a new Republican-backed law just weeks before a March 1 primary kicks off this year's U.S. election cycle.

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Among other provisions, the law requires voters applying for a mail ballot to provide either a driver's license or Social Security number, which must match the number they gave when first registering to vote.

That leaves some voters playing a "guessing game," DeBeauvoir said, because many people cannot recall which number they provided originally and there is no easy way for voters to check.

Harris County, which includes Houston, had rejected 409 out of 1,373 applications as of last Friday for ID problems, including 309 missing ID numbers and 173 with numbers that did not match those on file, according to Leah Shah, a spokesperson for the county elections office.

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Other provisions in the law are also creating obstacles, she said. The office previously added a sticker with voters' addresses to applications that were mailed out to save them a step, but that is no longer permitted, Callanen said.

 The law also prohibits residents from obtaining applications for other people, including relatives. Callanen said her office regularly receives messages from senior citizens asking for ballots for themselves and their spouses; under the law, spouses must make their own separate requests

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Mail ballots in Texas are already sharply limited to a handful of categories, including residents 65 years and older, disabled residents or voters who will be absent from their county during early voting and Election Day.

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