AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The Texas Supreme Court has blocked an effort by Harris County officials to send a mail-in ballot application to every registered voter in the county.
In the opinion, issued Wednesday morning, the court said "that the Election Code does not authorize an early-voting clerk to send an application to vote by mail to a voter who has not requested one and that a clerk’s doing so results in irreparable injury to the State."
Harris County officials had sought to send mail-in ballot applications to all 2.4 million of the county's registered voters, in what county officials called an effort to reduce the number of voters at polling locations and decrease wait times. The state argued that the county clerk does not have the authority to send applications to voters, that doing so would exceed his legal authority and cause confusion among voters - especially those who are not eligible to vote by mail under the state's election laws.
Lower courts sided with Harris County, but the state's highest civil court sided with the state. "We conclude that the Election Code does not authorize the mailing proposed by the Harris County Clerk," the court wrote in its opinion.
The Harris County ruling is one of two issued by the court Wednesday morning, as early voting across Texas is set to begin next Tuesday. In a separate case, the court rejected a challenge from state GOP leaders that sought to overturn Gov. Greg Abbott's extension of the early voting period.