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All voters in Texas who fear contracting the novel coronavirus should be allowed to vote by mail during the pandemic, state district judge Tim Sulak ruled on Wednesday. The lawsuit was filed by the Texas Democratic Party and several advocacy groups, which argued that “we too have to reduce the demand on in-person voting as a matter of practicality, as a matter of public health,” said Chad Dunn, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. Judge Sulak said he would issue a temporary injunction that will allow those who are afraid of becoming infected with the virus to request a mail-in ballot by citing a disability. “Today is a victory for all Texans. The right to vote is central to our democracy,” said the Texas Democratic Party’s chairman Gilberto Hinojosa. “Voters should not have to choose between their lives or their right to vote.”
Shortly before the ruling, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office wrote in a statement that “fear of contracting COVID-19 unaccompanied by a qualifying sickness or physical condition does not constitute a disability under the Election Code.”