AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Early voting in Texas will begin as scheduled on October 13, after the Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott's order extending the early voting timeline.
The challenge, filed by a number of GOP leaders across the state, argued that Abbott's order was in violation of the state's election law, which dictates that early voting begins on the 17th day prior to election day.
In July, Abbott ordered an extension of the state's usual early voting period, which would have began on October 19, using emergency powers under the state of disaster declaration for the coronavirus pandemic.
"The election is already underway. To disrupt the long-planned election procedures as relators would have the Court do would threaten voter confusion," Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht said in his opinion.
Abbott also doubled the early voting period for the primary runoff elections held in July.
