Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins announced Thursday his office penned a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this week, asking the Texas governor to extend the early voting period in the upcoming November general election.
Abbott has already taken similar action during the early voting period for this month’s runoff election, extending the early voting period to begin on June 29 instead of July 6. In a TV interview in May, Abbott said he would do the same for the November election, but did not and has still not given any specifics.
Due to the difficulty of managing elections during a pandemic, Hollins said Abbott should give specific dates for any upcoming changes to the early voting in November by the end of this month.
“Without that information, full planning and preparation for this important election cannot be undertaken,” Hollins wrote. “Further, extending early voting by at least a week will provide much-needed extra time for voters to spread out the days and times they choose to vote over the course of three weeks.”
Turnout during last week’s primary election, including the early voting period, is proof Texans are eager to participate in elections despite the ongoing pandemic. More than one million Texans cast their ballot in the Democratic Primary runoff, the highest number in two decades.
Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignalarchive.com
