2020 Absentee/Early Voting megathread 2

[Inmate Trump]

For anyone wondering why I’m a doomer, this is why.

I think what the Texas GOP is trying to do is only a small fraction of what they’ll try to do across the country.

[Gass3268]

The Texas Supreme Court said this is okay and they are 100% Republican and notoriously one of the most partisan courts in the country. That should have been the end of it.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

For anyone wondering why I’m a doomer, this is why.

I think what the Texas GOP is trying to do is only a small fraction of what they’ll try to do across the country.

Election day is in three days. Unless you seriously buy the "overturn the results after they're counted" line, which I don't, they don't have time.

[Tintrlvr]

The Texas Supreme Court said this is okay and they are 100% Republican and notoriously one of the most partisan courts in the country. That should have been the end of it.

What’s the rationale for the federal case? If the TX SC has already ruled, they’d have to find a federal law reason to challenge, which seems implausible.

[The Mikado]

The Texas Supreme Court said this is okay and they are 100% Republican and notoriously one of the most partisan courts in the country. That should have been the end of it.

For anyone not grasping what is meant by this, the TX Supreme Court is 9-0 Republican, and has been 9-0 Republican continuously since 1999.

[Gass3268]

The Texas Supreme Court said this is okay and they are 100% Republican and notoriously one of the most partisan courts in the country. That should have been the end of it.

For anyone not grasping what is meant by this, the TX Supreme Court is 9-0 Republican, and has been 9-0 Republican continuously since 1999.

Plus it had the support and approval of the Republican Secretary of State.

[BudgieForce]

The Texas Supreme Court said this is okay and they are 100% Republican and notoriously one of the most partisan courts in the country. That should have been the end of it.

For anyone not grasping what is meant by this, the TX Supreme Court is 9-0 Republican, and has been 9-0 Republican continuously since 1999.

Plus it had the support and approval of the Republican Secretary of State.

So then the question is, what justification could Hanen use to overrule the Texas SOS and Texas SCOTUS?

[Joe Biden is your president. Deal with it.]

They aren’t gonna do anything. Man the dooming is at an all time high today.

[Horus]

They aren’t gonna do anything. Man the dooming is at an all time high today.

And you know this how?

[MaxQue]

If Hanan does overstep its bounds, it's actually great.
It's make sure no electoral votes will be casted from Trump from Texas, because either it votes for Trump or the House votes to not count Texas votes, hopefully.

[Storr]

The Texas Supreme Court said this is okay and they are 100% Republican and notoriously one of the most partisan courts in the country. That should have been the end of it.

What’s the rationale for the federal case? If the TX SC has already ruled, they’d have to find a federal law reason to challenge, which seems implausible.

That curbside voting somehow infringes on their constitutional rights.

source
(Hollins is the Harris County Clerck)
"10. Defendant Hollins’ non-compliance with the law is significantly harming
the interests of Plaintiffs herein. Plaintiffs, absent relief, will imminently suffer specific
and substantial injuries in fact to a legally protected interest; such injuries are directly
traceable to the defendant’s challenged action herein; and a favorable judgment by this
Court will likely redress such injuries."

"11. Plaintiff Hotze has standing because he is threatened with a violation of his
right to vote. Allowing an illegal voting scheme that invites corruption and fraud is
tantamount to voter suppression because legal votes will be nullified by illegal votes"

(When I read 11. I literally loled.)

"15. “Undeniably the Constitution of the United States protects the right of all
qualified citizens to vote, in state as well as in federal elections.” Reynolds v. Sims, 377
U.S. 533, 554 (1964). This right “can neither be denied outright. . . nor destroyed by
alteration of ballots. . . nor diluted by ballot-box stuffing.” Id. “The right to vote is
‘individual and personal in nature,’ and ‘voters who allege facts showing disadvantage to
themselves as individuals have standing to sue’ to remedy that disadvantage.” Gill v.
Whitford, 138 S. Ct. 1916, 1920 (2018) (quoting Reynolds, 377 U.S. at 561 and Baker v.
Carr, 369 U.S. 186, 206 (1962)). Plaintiffs object to the casting and to the counting of any
ineligible or illegal curbside voting as the consequence of permitting such activity hurts
not only the integrity and the reported outcomes of the election for all of the candidates
and all of the voters who voted, but it could also dilute or otherwise diminish and cancel
Plaintiffs’ casting of a legal vote for the candidates of their choice in the General Election."

[Thomas D]

They aren’t gonna do anything. Man the dooming is at an all time high today.

I suspect you're right.  2016 really messed with people's heads. For good reason.

[Donerail]

Andrew Hanen forbids his clerks from socializing with legal aid attorneys. We know how he's gonna rule.

[BudgieForce]

A relaxing tweet for your nerves:


https://twitter.com/fedjudges/status/1322607282169864194

[Oryxslayer]

A relaxing tweet for your nerves:


https://twitter.com/fedjudges/status/1322607282169864194

Yeah casual reminder that if the 100% GOP state courts wouldn't touch this, neither will the feds start a new case, since fed courts can't overrule state courts. I'm sure if the GOP cried wolf before people voted then they would win, but not anymore.

[GP270watch]

Andrew Hanen forbids his clerks from socializing with legal aid attorneys. We know how he's gonna rule.

 I googled him because I kinda remembered the name and he's a goofball rightwing whacko with a history of trash rulings, idiotic proclamations, and clear partisan hackery.

[Landslide Lyndon]

If Republicans were smart they wouldn't touch this case with a ten-foot pole. Texas is just gravy for Biden and invalidating 100 thousand votes will just enrage Democrats and provide more fodder to argue that the federal judiciary is out of control and judicial reform (including court-packing) is necessary. But then again nobody ever accused Republicans of being smart.

[Sestak]

The Texas Supreme Court said this is okay and they are 100% Republican and notoriously one of the most partisan courts in the country. That should have been the end of it.

What’s the rationale for the federal case? If the TX SC has already ruled, they’d have to find a federal law reason to challenge, which seems implausible.

The rationale here is that because the federal constitution gives state legislatures authority to run elections and only states that Congress can regulate them, any state entity other than the legislature making decisions on elections is violating the rights of the state legislature.

The main effect this has would be to declare any state constitutional provision which specifies a voting right or a rule on elections is, on its face, unconstitutional. Other aspects  of it are to rule county actions like this unconstitutional as well.

Refer to my post in the dedicated thread about this; the likely outcome is that this argument doesn’t win out in the higher courts here.

[Ferguson97]

The Texas Supreme Court said this is okay and they are 100% Republican and notoriously one of the most partisan courts in the country. That should have been the end of it.

For anyone not grasping what is meant by this, the TX Supreme Court is 9-0 Republican, and has been 9-0 Republican continuously since 1999.

Plus it had the support and approval of the Republican Secretary of State.

So then the question is, what justification could Hanen use to overrule the Texas SOS and Texas SCOTUS?

They'll make up some nonsense. They don't have to make a legitimate argument, Hanen could write "I like strawberry shortcake so Harris County's curbside votes don't count" and that would be the end of it.

[forsythvoter]

This is a bizarre lawsuit. Why would the TX Supreme Court uphold throwing out 100K votes from a method that they ruled to allow? All this is going to do is drive up Democratic turnout and anger Indies who just want all votes counted.

[Yank2133]

If Republicans were smart they wouldn't touch this case with a ten-foot pole. Texas is just gravy for Biden and invalidating 100 thousand votes will just enrage Democrats and provide more fodder to argue that the federal judiciary is out of control and judicial reform (including court-packing) is necessary. But then again nobody ever accused Republicans of being smart.

Roberts is the only one who seems to get this (which isn't surprising given the court is his legacy). The others are too stupid and short-sighted to see this.

[Landslide Lyndon]

If Republicans were smart they wouldn't touch this case with a ten-foot pole. Texas is just gravy for Biden and invalidating 100 thousand votes will just enrage Democrats and provide more fodder to argue that the federal judiciary is out of control and judicial reform (including court-packing) is necessary. But then again nobody ever accused Republicans of being smart.

Roberts is the only one who seems to get this (which isn't surprising given the court is his legacy). The others are too stupid and short-sighted to see this.

I can imagine Roberts calling this judge right now and warn him to keep this thing as far from SCOTUS as possible.

[Brittain33]

If Republicans were smart they wouldn't touch this case with a ten-foot pole. Texas is just gravy for Biden and invalidating 100 thousand votes will just enrage Democrats and provide more fodder to argue that the federal judiciary is out of control and judicial reform (including court-packing) is necessary. But then again nobody ever accused Republicans of being smart.

Roberts is the only one who seems to get this (which isn't surprising given the court is his legacy). The others are too stupid and short-sighted to see this.

Kavanaugh may have course corrected, at least until after the election, after the attention his opinion and screw-up about Vermont got.

[Landslide Lyndon]

And here is another opinion.

https://twitter.com/billscher/status/1322626666573762566

https://twitter.com/billscher/status/1322627411494752261

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

If I can cut through the Texas-related pessimism for even a second (Yeah, I feel it too)...


...I got the final Texas early voting update! And now with graphs!


Day 18 of early voting in Texas (In-person + VBM) (October 30)


GREATER HOUSTON


HARRIS COUNTY             1,435,221    57.9%     2016: 109.4%     2018: 118.8%



FORT BEND COUNTY           327,811   68.0%     2016: 125.1%     2018: 128.3%



MONTGOMERY COUNTY       237,186   64.1%     2016: 115.9%     2018: 124.8%



GALVESTON COUNTY          137,151   60.0%     2016: 111.6%     2018: 120.7%



- Fort Bend County turnout percentage exceeded their 2016 total turnout percentage of 64.9%
- Galveston County turnout percentage exceeded their 2016 total turnout percentage of 59.0%