Why is the Texas Republican Party trying to stop drive-thru voting?

[puma guy]

Wife and I went yesterday also. I got off early (3:00 pm) so we headed to the Bi-State Justice Building where voting has been done since we moved here in 1988. Nope! Had to go across town to a new place. We pulled into the parking lot, and I was appalled. Barely found a place to park. Got inside to a good size line.
But, they moved us through pretty quickly. We were there less than 30 minutes. All in all, not a bad experience.
Any temptation to be lazy and pass was quickly dispelled as Biden was blathering away on TV as we were getting ready to leave. We leave the TV on for the dogs. I was hoping they wouldn't be liberal Democrats by the time we got back home.

Dogs sleep about 20 hours a day, has food prepared for them. Meals are provided at no cost to them. They visit the Dr. once a year for checkup, and again during the year if any medical needs arise. For this they pay nothing, and nothing is required of them. They live in a nice neighborhood in a house that is much larger than they need, but they are not required to do any upkeep. If they make a mess, someone else cleans it up. They receive these accommodations absolutely free. They are living like royalty, and have absolutely no expenses whatsoever. All costs are picked up by others who go out and earn a living every day.

You tell me, are they liberal democrats?

(Stolen from a website)

My dad was a veterinarian for for 71 years and when folks would say "it's just a dumb animal" he'd list all the things in your post, but he always added that there are people living under bridges who are not as smart as their pet.

[srothstein]

Why are they taking the extraordinary steps of trying to invalidate citizen's votes??

I am going to guess based on my low opinion of all political parties. I am guessing that the Republican party thinks that the people who are not going in to the polls to vote in person (drive through and mail in ballots) are primarily doing so due to concerns about COVID. Again, as a general rule the party believes that those people concerned about COVID are primarily Democrats. Even when they are not Democrats, the party thinks those with concerns will vote for Biden over Trump. If you believe the polls, this last is probably a valid belief. Either way, this means that the Republican party believes that any mail-in or drive-thru ballots thrown out will be more Biden votes than Trump votes. Throwing them out helps increase the Trump win. Thus, the move to throw the votes out.

While i tend to agree with the basic premises I listed, i don't agree with throwing out the votes. If Trump cannot win the election honestly, he does not deserve to stay in office, IMO.

[extremist]

Not sure if yall have been following the news, looks like the GOP is trying to get 100,000+ votes thrown out in Harris County that did the drive-through voting. The Texas Supreme Court has told them no, looks like there should be a federal court ruling also at some point today.

I am still standing by not understanding why the drive through voting is such a thorn in the GOP's side, and why they are taking the steps of trying to get the votes thrown out. We watched someone voting by car here in our small neck of the woods, the poll worker came out with the same tablet they have set up inside, they voted, handed the tablet back, and that was it. All the same ID restrictions were in place, there was no difference besides the person not having to get out of their car.

Why are they taking the extraordinary steps of trying to invalidate citizen's votes??

It's an honest question.

The argument:

The petition argues that drive-thru voting is an illegal expansion of curbside voting, which state law reserves for voters who submit a sworn application saying they have an illness or disability that could put them at risk if forced to enter a polling place.

“Hollins is allowing curbside/drive-thru voting for all 2.37 million registered voters in Harris County. This is a clear and direct violation of his duties,” the petition argued.

The plaintiffs, which include Republican activist Steve Hotze and three Republican candidates for office, argue that drive-thru voting violates federal law.

The latest challenge argues that drive-thru voting violates the U.S. Constitution, which says state legislatures decide how elections are run. The plaintiffs also argue it violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, in that the county is adopting a manner of voting that has not been adopted by other Texas counties.

Republican State Rep. Steve Toth, who’s listed on the petition as a plaintiff, argued it’s the job of the state legislature — not local counties — to implement changes such as drive-thru voting. He also criticized the state Supreme Court’s decision last week. He represents South Montgomery County, just north of Harris County.

The state GOP's lawsuit, filed in a state appeals court in Houston hours before early voting in Texas began, argued that Harris County had violated the state's election code by offering drive-thru and curbside voting.

"This illegal policy, which is grounded on the dubious notion that a lack of immunity from COVID-19 justifies a wholesale repudiation of the Texas Election Code, has already been expressly rejected by the Texas Supreme Court," the suit reads.

The lawsuit seeks to halt the drive-thru voting program and limit curbside voting to those who have submitted sworn applications saying they qualify for it.

Not arguing one way or the other myself, but it appears they are wanting to change the rules JUST for Harris Co. That is enough for me to oppose it.

[Rafe]

Just FWIW...

127,000 drive-thru votes in Harris County will count, federal judge rules

A federal judge has decided the fate of 127,000 drive-thru votes in Harris County after Texas Republicans again filed a petition to get the votes thrown out.

https://abc13.com/politics/127k-drive-t ... s/7579402/

[Flightmare]

FWIW, RPT was not officially involved in this case. There were some elected representatives and activists who are members of the party involved, but this was suit was not brought on by the party itself.

[philip964]

Considering that most everyone is voting for Trump, I'm not sure why the Republicans are behind this.

To me as long as ID's are checked, just like inside and the real voting machine is used just like inside, I don't have any objection.

[03Lightningrocks]

I have a lot more confidence in drive thru voting than I do mail in votes. Especially with Democrat operatives running all over the place harvesting ballots.

[Rafe]

Man, it ain't easy keeping up with this ping-pong ball:

9 of 10 Harris Co. drive-thru voting locations closed today, county clerk said

https://abc13.com/politics/9-of-10-harr ... d/7579402/

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the motion by Republicans to halt drive-thru voting in Harris County on Election Day, according to ABC News. This motion was filed after U.S. District Court Judge Andrew S. Hanen ruled late Monday afternoon the 127,000 drive-thru ballots already cast could not be invalidated.

The appeals court's ruling comes just about an hour after Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins announced on Twitter that he will be closing 9 out of 10 drive-thru voting locations as a precaution on Election Day. The only drive-thru voting location open today will be at Toyota Center.
...
Said Hollins: "I cannot in good faith encourage voters to cast their votes in tents if that puts their votes at risk. The Toyota Center DTV site fits the Judge's definition of a "building": it is "a structure with walls and a roof" and "a permanent structure." It is thus unquestionably a suitable location for Election Day voting."

Not to fan any flames, but everything I've heard about a "Republican Surge" is because Republicans tend to come out in greater numbers on election day than do democrats. So why would Deep Blue youngster Hollins fight tooth and nail throughout early voting for all drive-throughs to count, and then cave on election day and force everyone who still wants to vote from their vehicles to funnel into a single place, the not-easily-accessible-during-business-hours Toyota Center? For those not familiar with Houston, I've attached a map. Toyota Center is downtown. Not a bad place to go watch a basketball game that starts at 7:00 p.m., but getting there to vote on the election day amidst the carnage that is always Houston traffic is not for the faint of heart...or low the on patience or gasoline.

[EP45]

Hello,
Voted in local runoff via drive-thru voting (would not trust back in November). Two interesting areas:
1. If I have/had political stickers, signs, etc. on my car; I could still vote although would probably break the electioneering rules
2. If I had my concealed handgun in or about my person or in my car; I would assume I could still vote-again questionable
Just some thoughts.

[Oldgringo]

My wife and I, both 78 years of age, walked in on the second day of early voting in Rusk, Cherokee County around 0900. Sat down, voted straight Republican, and was out in 10 minutes. Yes, we showed Voter Registration Cards and Photo ID beforehand and no, neither of us caught any disease.

It's only a big deal if one wants it to be a big deal OR has other plans?