State of Texas to Voters: Vote by Mail

Here is what is on the Texas Secretary of State’s main webpage:

COVID-19 – As recommended precautions continue to increase for COVID-19, the James E. Rudder Building will be closed to visitors and customers beginning Wednesday, March 18, 2020. The Office of the Secretary of State is committed to continuing to provide services to ensure business and public filings remain available 24/7 through our online business service, SOSDirect or use the new SOSUpload. Thank you in advance for your patience during this difficult time. Information on Testing Sites is now available.

Here is what is on the Harris County Clerk’s webpage:

Harris County Clerk offices remain closed to the public until further notice. Employees will continue serving the public by email and phone, but residents are reminded that they can access most services online.

If you want to visit the elections folks, you have to call and make an appointment.

Let that sink in for a minute.  These are the folks that are in charge of the elections in Texas and in Harris County and for the most part they are closed to the public – thanks to COVID-19.

It is pretty clear to Commentary and it should be pretty clear to you that despite what Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is saying, the folks in charge of running the elections would not have a problem with those under 65 years of age applying to vote by mail using the Disability excuse because they don’t want to risk exposure.

Think about it.  Do we need to be discussing health protocols for voters in an eight-page document that was put out yesterday by Texas’ Chief Election Officer? The Texas Secretary of State put out a “Health Protocols for Voters” and here are parts:

Voters should consider bringing their own marking instruments such as a pen, pencil with eraser, or stylus to use when checking-in to vote and for marking their ballot. Voters should contact their county election office to determine what type of marking devices are appropriate to use for the ballots in their county.

Voters should bring their own hand sanitizer into the polling location and should use hand sanitizer to disinfect their hands after leaving the polling location.

Here is the scariest one:

If the election judge is not able to determine the identity of a voter wearing a face covering, the voter should be prepared to lower or remove their face covering when checking-in at a polling place.

Here are the entire protocols: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/health-protocols-for-voters.pdf.

You don’t want to tell the election judges to fu_k themselves if they ask you to remove your mask.  Vote by mail.

Think about it.  You are asked to bring your own pen to sign in, hand sanitizer and you might have to remove your face mask. Why? Because voting is risky.  You could get real sick and it is a serious health concern.  Voting in Person, it turns out, is hazardous to your health.  Think about that?

Read between the lines, please.  The Texas Secretary of State wants you to go look at her April 2, 2020 Election Advisory on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Voting and Election Procedures.

Here is the first line of the advisory:

The purpose of this advisory is to assist election officials in facilitating voting for individuals that may be affected by COVID-19, and in preparing for the conduct of elections in the context of this public health issue.

On page two of the Advisory, Voting by Mail was addressed, and the four excuses were listed but only the disability excuse was addressed with this:

One of the grounds for voting by mail is disability. The Election Code defines “disability” to include “a sickness or physical condition that prevents the voter from appearing at the polling place on election day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring the voter’s health.” (Sec. 82.002). Voters who meet this definition and wish to vote a ballot by mail must submit an application for ballot by mail.

Look.  This isn’t a Democratic Party Primary thing.  The Secretary of State is also talking to GOP voters who still have key runoffs in some parts of the state.

The Secretary of State and the Harris County Clerk, the folks who are in charge of elections, want us to pursue the Vote by Mail option.  They just don’t want to say it outright.

Go to Harrisvotes.com and fill out a mail ballot application, sign it, stick it in an envelope, slap a stamp on it and mail it. It is a lot safer.

State Rep. Anna Eastman demonstrated outstanding leadership by sending HD 148 Dem voters a mail ballot application.

We need to encourage folks to vote by mail.  Get a lot of folks to do it and when it is all said and done, folks will see that it is not a big deal.

Royko responded to my take yesterday on H-Town not being interested in a GOP National Convention in three months.  Here is Royko:

I disagree.

Houston would benefit having the Republican National Convention at the GRB.

The Mayor would love the extra hotel and sales tax revenue, and this type of windfall economic activity would help the airports, car rental companies, restaurants, and all sorts of small businesses. The local Pravda and TV stations will get additional advertising revenue. Even those businesses owned by zealot Democrats.

This would make a great turn-around story. Exactly 3 years after the Hurricane Harvey destruction, and trying to recover from the economic shut-down, Houston would be host to both the Republican State Convention (July) and the Republican National Convention, bringing world-wide attention to Houston. Just think, more riders for the 3rd-world-class METRORail.

I can think of no better optics than Texas Governor Abbott welcoming the President to Houston at Ellington Field (now a Space Port).

It is not the kind of worldwide attention H-Town needs right now.

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Donald Trump was an “absolute fool.”  Good.

Last night was Dollar Dog Night.