A conservative activist and three Republican candidates for public office are seeking to trash 127,000 votes in the upcoming election. Filing two separate lawsuits, the four parties are specifically looking to remove the votes cast at non-traditional drive-thru polling sites that were created during the pandemic. If successful, the four parties would remove nearly 10% of the votes cast in Harris County.
“I’m just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best, but I think this is ridiculous,” Texas resident Christine Charles said.
“They could have done this two weeks ago, and we could have voted in person.”
The lawsuits come just days after a separate entity unsuccessfully filed a similar suit targeting drive-thru polling sites in Texas.
“We thought it was fine, and then I see these stories,” Charles added.
“We can both still go on Tuesday and vote if we have to, but I want to know. If my vote’s going to be thrown out, when are we going to know that’s the case?”
The push to remove the 127,000 votes is led by the conservative activist Steven Hotze, Rep. Steve Toth, congressional candidate Wendell Champion and judicial candidate Sharon Hemphill. The four figures are an illegal extension of curbside voting that violates Texas election law and the U.S. Constitution.
“Unless stopped, illegal votes will be cast and counted in direct violation of the Texas Election Code and the United States Constitution and result in the integrity of elections in Harris County being compromised,” a petition to end drive-thru voting states.
As illustrated by Charles, the latest lawsuit has frustrated a number of Texas voters including 44-year-old Shelby Struder.
“If this particular judge does nullify these votes, will I be allowed to vote on Tuesday? Am I not allowed to vote at all now? Does my vote not count at all?” Struder asked.
“The GOP is doing everything possible to not allow people to vote, and I don’t think they understand that there are Republicans who also took part in drive-thru voting.”
A judge is set to review the lawsuit on Monday.
