HOUSTON โ A federal judge has temporarily blocked Texas Gov.
Greg Abbottโs order that limits mail-in ballot drop-off locations to one per county.
In his preliminary injunction issued late Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pitman said the public interest is not served by enforcement of Abbottโs proclamation that the โplaintiffs have shown likely violates their fundamental right to vote.โAbbottโs order issued last week also required poll watches to monitor activity conducted at the drop-off locations related to the delivery of marked mail ballots.
Pitman did not block that part of the order.
The governor said the rule was meant to โstrengthen ballot security protocols throughout the state.โDemocrats blasted the Republican governorโs rule, calling it โmodern-day voter suppression.โHarris County, the stateโs largest, had originally planned to have more than 10 drop-off locations.