NUECES COUNTY, Texas — As the 2020 election season inches closer, several changes continue to happen in Texas in hopes of keeping people safe from COVID-19. The state is also trying to keep a high turnout for in-person voting.
We're nearly two weeks away from early voting and changes to our ballots are still happening. There are two concerns to address among our voters.
First, the latest change to our Texas ballots on September 25, when a federal judge blocked the state from eliminating straight-ticket voting.
A little background on the debate over straight-ticket voting -- in 2017 -- a law passed which would've eliminated straight-ticket voting in Texas for this year's 2020 elections.
This was done in hopes that voters would make more informed decisions because they'd have to choose a candidate for each race on the ballot, versus being able to choose an entire party with just one ballot mark.
The current decision to keep straight-ticket voting is based on the concern of the spread of COVID-19 at the voting locations. In some counties like Harris, the ballots are pages long. Officials worry the elimination of straight-ticket voting would cause longer lines, thus creating a hotspot for the spread of COVID-19.
The second concern to address is where Texas stands with mail-in voting. Although there have been several attempts and lawsuits filed this year to expand mail-in voting to more Texans -- courts have continued to decide that the risk of getting COVID-19 doesn't qualify a person to vote by mail.
The only circumstances that allow voters to qualify for mail-in voting are:
- 65 years or older.
- Plans to be away from the county where you live; this could apply to college students or members of the military.
- Having a disability.
- People in jail who have not been convicted of a felony.
So far, it seems that Texas will keep its strict mail-in voting eligibility requirements. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is approaching on October 23.