It’s an issue that dates back to World War II: Making sure American servicemen and servicewomen have the ability to cast a vote in a presidential election, no matter where they’re stationed. With the passage of the Soldier Voting Act of 1942, it was settled: Military members would be given easy access to vote. Moran, who’s currently deployed in Poland, cast her first-ever absentee ballot for this year’s election. Although voting is a common task for many Americans, for most soldiers, it is a very unorthodox method -- voting overseas, that is, but the process is quite simple. In the 2000 presidential election, Republican nominee George W. Bush relied on 537 ballots to tilt Florida in his direction.

A litigious conservative activist in Houston, the Harris County Republican party and a number of Republican officials and candidates are asking the Texas Supreme Court to limit in-person and absentee voting options for Harris County voters during the pandemic. Republicans across the country, including leaders in Texas, have sought to cast doubt on the security of absentee ballots — skepticism experts say is not merited. There are documented cases of voter fraud in Texas, but with absentee ballots as overall, it is rare. Texas is one of just a few states that has not allowed for no-excuse absentee ballots during the pandemic. The Trump campaign has encouraged its voters to request absentee ballots, even as the president claims without evidence that it will lead to fraud.