Appeals court dismisses Texas GOP lawsuit against drive-thru voting in Harris County
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A lawsuit filed by Texas' Republican Party to stop drive-thru balloting in Harris County has been tossed out for now.
On Wednesday, the 14th Court of Appeals dismissed the lawsuit against Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, allowing for curbside and drive-thru voting to continue.
The lawsuit came as the first day of early voting got underway in Texas. Harris County saw record turnout. More than 128,000 people voted in the county on Tuesday, nearly doubling the record set in 2016.
Currently, Harris County has opened 10 drive-thru voting sites, including its flagship at NRG Park, where the county's election headquarters are staged.
The county cited COVID-19 concerns for setting up the drive-thru voting locations around the Houston area.
Eyewitness News reached out to the courts to obtain a copy of the lawsuit. So far, there has been no court order to halt drive-thru balloting.
The latest GOP attempt to throttle voting options in the state came after a federal appeals court upheld Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's order to limit mail-in ballot dropoffs to just one location in each county, citing election security concerns.
In a statement, Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa had one word to describe the Texas GOP.
"Cowards. Every single one of them are cowards," said Hinojosa, who also invoked the names of Abbott and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
ABC13 has reached out to the Texas GOP for comment on the lawsuit.
We have also reached out to Hollins' office for a statement on the lawsuit's dismissal.
