Dems Win TX Court Battle On Straight-Ticket Voting

The Texas Tribune reports:

Less than three weeks before early voting begins in Texas, a U.S. district judge has blocked the state from eliminating straight-ticket voting as an option for people who go to the polls this November.

In a ruling issued late Friday, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo cited the coronavirus pandemic, saying the elimination of the voting practice would “cause irreparable injury” to voters “by creating mass lines at the polls and increasing the amount of time voters are exposed to COVID-19.”

In Harris County, for example, ballots can go on for pages because of the number of state district judges and other local officials up for election. Democrats worried that having to vote on each individual race would slow people down, causing longer lines at the polls.

Breaking: A U.S. district judge has blocked Texas from eliminating straight-ticket voting as an option for people at the polls this November.

Straight-ticket voting allows voters to register support for all of their parties’ candidates with a single vote. https://t.co/03nxlO2rq3

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 25, 2020

FULL STORY: U.S. judge reinstates straight-ticket voting in Texas, citing the pandemic https://t.co/aLizpeEUab

— Taylor Goldenstein (@taygoldenstein) September 26, 2020