Texas, statistically, is the hardest U.S. state to vote in, but it has not stopped voters from casting their ballots
Texas will be an interesting state to monitor during the 2020 election and could potentially even determine the outcome depending on how voters lean towards in the next few days.
While a Democratic presidential nominee has not won the state since 1976, there are polls as Election Day approaches that show that this year’s race could be much closer than in year’s past.
If Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden were to upset President Donald Trump in Texas, there would be almost no “realistic” path for the current commander-in-chief to win the reelection according to the Texas Tribune.
However, for a state whose outcome could be crucial, its voting process comes with many challenges that voters must overcome, however, it has not stopped many Texans from showing out to cast their ballots during the early voting window, especially in Harris County.
Texas is the hardest state in the entire United States to vote according to a “cost-of-voting index” compiled by political scientists at Northern Illinois University. The study determined how hard it is to vote in each state based on an assemblage of dozens of current election laws and took into account both stages of the voting process — registering to vote and casting a ballot.
According to the Northern Illinois University study, key characteristics of easy-to-vote states include those that allow voters to register on Election Day, provide online voter registration and voter registration at polling locations on the day of and those that automatically register state residents.
In terms of the actual voting process, easy-to-vote states do not have strict photo ID laws, in some states people only need their signatures to vote, have early voting options and allow casts to be made through the mail.
How important are some of these factors when it comes to voters casting their ballots?
A University of Houston study found that a lack of an approved ID was a factor in more than 16 percent of non-voters in Harris County during the 2016 election.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Texas is one of only five states that did not accept coronavirus concerns as an excuse to vote by mail, and it has strict requirements for those that wish to do so.
In order to apply to vote by mail in Texas, one must meet one of the following criteria:
-Be sick or disabled and unable to go to a polling place
-Be 65 years of age or older on Election Day
-Be in jail but have not been convicted of a crime yet
-Will not be in the county at the time of early voting and Election Day
To add on top of these requirements, on Friday, Oct. 2, Governor Greg Abbott put an order that set a limit of drop-offs to only one single location per county, which left large counties like Harris stunned at how unaccommodating that order makes it for its mail-in voters.
“These enhanced security protocols will ensure greater transparency and will help stop attempts at illegal voting,” said Abbott when he announced the order.
The single ballot drop-off location in Harris County is at NRG Park in Southwest Houston.
Despite these potential obstacles, it has not discouraged Harris County voters from showing out and casting their ballots for the 2020 election as county officials have tried to make voting as accessible and convenient to voters.
From setting up numerous new polling spots, including notable ones in places like Toyota Center, Rice Stadium and NRG Arena, the county has also set up various drive-thru locations scattered across the Houston area, and so far, it appears to be working.
Through Oct. 23, over 950,000 registered voters in Harris County have already cast their ballots, which is on pace to shatter records from the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. Texas as a state leads the entire country in voter turnout. As of Oct. 21, over 5 million voters in the state have cast their ballot.
While the Lone Star state might be, statistically, the hardest one in the United States to vote in, Texans have made it clear they want their voices heard this presidential election.
andyyanez05@gmail.com
