CNN Breaking: Harris Country, Texas closing 9 of 10 drive-thru voting centers.

[catbyte]

I don't have a link yet. I'm watching TV.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. War

[LisaL]

2. Yes, apparently the judge today said that on election day the voting location must be inside

a building. The one drive through location that will remain open is an actual building.

[zaj]

3. Here's the article, but I'm not sure...

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/02/politics/texas-houston-republican-drive-thru-ballot/index.html

"In announcing the decision to close most of the drive-thru locations, Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins said on Twitter that he "cannot in good faith encourage voters to cast their votes in tents if that puts their votes at risk." The location that will remain open is the Toyota Center, which has "walls and a roof" and would fit the judge's description as a building, a county clerk spokesperson told CNN. The judge had ruled that voting needed to take place in a "structure.""

Not sure what to make of this part...

"Just before Hollins' announcement, Republicans challenging voting in Texas' Harris County had asked a federal appeals court to block drive-thru voting on Election Day, after losing a bid earlier in the day to invalidate all drive-thru voting in the Democratic-leaning area, which includes Houston."

Is Hollins trying to protect voters or supress them?

[questionseverything]

7. To protect them

He doesn’t want to take a chance the drive thru votes could get tossed out later

[BruceWane]

11. Hollins is a good guy

The legal challenge is that Texas voting law states that a polling place must be inside a "structure", republicans saying that a tent is not a "structure". He doesn't want anyone to vote in a location that is currently under challenge. The one Harris County drive-through site which will be open is inside the Toyota Center parking garage, which is enough of a "structure" to be within Texas law for polling places.

Hollins and Lena Hidalgo have absolutely KICKED ASS in expanding voting opportunities in Harris County, HUGE THANKS to them!!!!

[Drunken Irishman]

4. This is smart - with the ruling earlier, they don't want the potential of having invalid results...

...going forward. If they went ahead with curbside voting, those votes could theoretically be thrown out at a later date.

[cilla4progress]

6. Exactly!

Those 127k early votes are legitimate, and Hopkins settles on closing stations for tomorrow. He protects those early votes.

Since they were early voting stations would they have been closed anyway? Does this impact the vote tomorrow? Generally republicans vote on e day, with d's voting early.

[Vivienne235729]

8. That's what I was thinking too. Kinda surprised they want to shut down

Voting access on election day when it is tilted towards R.

[Rice4VP]

5. Smart decision...why chance it?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. I will honestly say, I don't understand why any voter at all

has not already voted yet.

Standing in line on Election Day is vastly overrated.

[ananda]

10. This is not a problem..

There are still many locations open for voting,
just not those ten with tents.

[MoonlitKnight]

12. I bet they won't question if a tent is a structure

If they end up in one of those field hospitals being treated for COVID-19.

Anyway, good call to strike a deal so votes aren’t at risk even though federal court doesn’t have jurisdiction. Another symptom of Moscow Mitch’s court packing.