GOP leaders ask Supreme Court to void Abbott order that extended early voting
Launching an intraparty revolt against Gov. Greg Abbott, leading GOP politicians and activists on Wednesday asked the Texas Supreme Court to overturn an Abbott order that added six days of early voting for the November election.
The extended voting period, a safety measure to limit crowding at polling places during the pandemic, violates state law and the Texas Constitution and must be struck down, the Republican leaders argued.
Abbott has been getting increasingly sharper pushback from his party’s right wing over pandemic-related limits on businesses and on personal decisions, including mandatory masks for many parts of Texas.
But Wednesday’s petition to the Supreme Court marked a significant escalation, particularly regarding the names of those who signed on to formally oppose Abbott — including Agriculture Secretary Sid Miller, three state senators, seven current and former Texas House members and Allen West, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas.
“Gov. Abbott does not have the authority to unilaterally make life and death decisions that have destroyed business, robbed individuals of their life savings, and stolen the liberty all Texans enjoy under the Texas Constitution,” said Jared Woodfill, the Houston lawyer and former party official who wrote the petition.
https://www.statesman.com/news/20200923/gop-leaders-ask-supreme-court-to-void-abbott-order-that-extended-early-voting
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