Texas judge to hear Republican bid to void 100,000 vote

1/11/2020 6:09

                A US federal judge in Texas scheduled an emergency hearing for Monday on whether Houston officials unlawfully allowed drive-through voting and should toss 100,000 votes in the Democratic-leaning area.
        
        In a brief order, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Houston agreed to hear arguments by a Republican state legislator and others that votes already cast at drive-through voting sites in the Houston area should be rejected.
        
        The lawsuit was brought mid last week by a conservative activist, and a Republican Party lawmaker in Texas.
        
        They accused Harris County Clerk who has a Democrat affiliation, of exceeding his constitutional authority by allowing drive-through voting as an alternative to walk-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
        
        Harris County, with about 4.7 million people, is the third most populous county in the United States.
        
        It currently has 10 drive-through polling sites, which are available to all voters.
        
        The lawsuit came after the Texas Supreme Court, one of the most conservative state courts in the United States, rejected similar bids to halt drive-through voting in Harris County.