AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir told KXAN that her office has received 17,000 requests for mail-in ballots for the July runoff election, approximately 16,000 more than a typical runoff election.
DeBeauvoir said the demand for mail-in ballots is clear that voters are concerned about the potential health impacts of voting in-person during the coronavirus pandemic.
The last day for a county clerk to receive a mail-in ballot application to participate in the July runoff election is July 2.
“It is now up to the voter and if they tell us on this application form that they have a disability that’s going to potentially injure their health they are absolutely eligible to vote ballot by mail,” DeBeauvoir said.
In order to qualify for a mail-in ballot, a voter must be 65 years or older, disabled, out of the country on election day, or confined to jail but eligible to vote.
Texas Supreme Court justices ruled on Wednesday that a lack of COVID-19 immunity is not, on its own, a condition that would qualify as a disability in the state’s election code. However, justices said it is the responsibility of each voter to determine if their own health conditions meet the requirements for a mail-in ballot.
The court also clarified that it is not the responsibility of county clerks to investigate a disability claim on a mail-in ballot request form. It is the responsibility of county clerks to review that all necessary information is included in the request, nothing more.
“If a voter has a condition such as asthma, diabetes, any other kind of immunocompromised system, if the voter has comorbidities, all of those are going to be included in the voter’s judgment about asking for a ballot by mail,” DeBeauvoir said.
KXAN Political Reporter John Engel is digging into the latest ruling by the Texas Supreme Court on mail-in voting and will have a full report tonight at 10 p.m.
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