Texas Supreme Court Opens Door to Voting by Mail

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There’s a scene in The Incredibles where Mr. Incredible, working a desk job as a civilian for a bureaucratic insurance company, loudly informs the proverbial little old lady that her claim is rejected. But this is just for the benefit of his superiors. He then whispers instructions on how she can get her claim approved. It’s a great moment.

Well, the Texas Supreme Court pulled a Mr. Incredible this week.

While loudly proclaiming that lack of immunity to COVID-19 is not a “disability” entitling a voter to an absentee ballot, the Texas Supreme Court quietly rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s petition for a writ of mandamus. Paxton had asked for an order prohibiting county clerks from informing the public that lack of immunity to COVID-19 alone is a “disability” entitling a voter to an absentee ballot. But the court said no. See In re State of Texas (Tex. May 27, 2020).

(A writ of mandamus is essentially an order from a court requiring a government official to perform some official act.)

It was not a complete loss for Paxton, as the Court agreed in principle with his argument that a voter’s lack of immunity to COVID-19, “without more” or “by itself,” is not a “disability” as defined by the Texas Election Code. But the court emphasized that “a voter can take into consideration aspects of his health and his health history that are physical conditions in deciding whether, under the circumstances, to apply to vote by mail because of disability.”

Thus, the court clearly left the door open for individual voters to decide that lack of immunity plus some other risk factor—such as a heart condition, asthma, being overweight, you name it—is a “disability.”

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And perhaps the most important part: The court emphasized that it is up to each voter to decide whether to apply to vote by mail based on a disability, and that county clerks have no duty to look beyond the face of the application, which simply has a box to check for “disability.” No explanation required.

As the court said, the county clerks “do not have a ministerial duty, reviewable by mandamus, to look beyond the application to vote by mail.” While the AG claimed that clerks are accepting “improper applications,” the court said “there is no evidence in the record that any has accepted a faulty application.” Because the clerks assured the court they would discharge their duty to follow the law, the court rejected Paxton’s petition for a writ of mandamus.

This means county clerks can’t tell Texas voters that lack of immunity to COVID-19 alone is enough to get an absentee ballot. That would be like an insurance company telling its policyholders how to get their claim approved.

But what does this mean for Texas voters?

As a practical matter, the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling clears the way for voters who claim lack of immunity to COVID-19 plus some other risk factor to request an absentee ballot if they decide that is a “disability.”

In effect, the Texas Supreme Court whispered instructions to voters who fear contracting COVID-19 at the ballot box: “just decide you have a disability because of some other risk factor and check the box . . . shhh!”

Mr. Incredible would be proud.

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Zach Wolfe (zach@zachwolfelaw.com) is a Texas trial lawyer who handles non-compete and trade secret litigation at Zach Wolfe Law Firm. Thomson Reuters named him a Texas “Super Lawyer”® for Business Litigation in 2020 and 2021.

These are his opinions, not the opinions of his firm or clients, Do not rely on this post as legal advice for your particular situation. Consult your own lawyer.

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Comments:

Thanks for the update on this. Very good result from a Court that we sometimes overly simplistically classify as “conservative.” Unlike too many members of our society, the Justices implicitly recognize the right to determine a concern for health in conjunction with the profoundly important right to vote.