Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued a proclamation on Thursday limiting how many ballot drop-off locations there can be in each county.
Starting Friday, each county in the state can only have one drop-off location for voters to deposit their mail-in ballots. Harris County, a Democratic stronghold, is the largest county in Texas by population, and currently has 11 drop-off locations, while Travis County, home to Austin, has four. Tarrant, Dallas, and El Paso counties already only have one drop-off location, CNN reports.
Abbott said in a statement he decided to cut the number of drop-off locations "to maintain the integrity of our elections. ... These enhanced security protocols will ensure greater transparency and will help stop attempts at illegal voting."
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Gilberto Hinojosa, chair of the Texas Democratic Party, said in a statement Abbott's move is a "blatant voter suppression tactic," while former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro tweeted that Abbott is "making it harder for fellow Texans to vote because he knows how angry Texans are with [President] Trump's failure, [Republican Sen. John] Cornyn's failure, and his own to keep Texans safe and our people working."
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