HOUSTON – With 50 days left to Election Day, the ACLU of Texas today launched Let Texans Vote, a one-stop online resource to supply voters with information they’ll need to navigate the 2020 election and vote safely in the midst of a pandemic.
Let Texans Vote – www.aclutx.org/lettexansvote – offers voting process information and brief videos highlighting key dates, ID requirements, voting by mail, COVID-19 Election Day considerations, and specialized information for Texans who have language or disability barriers about their right to vote. Let Texans Vote also highlights ACLU of Texas’ work in demanding the right for all eligible Texans to participate in a safe election, including letters urging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Secretary of State Ruth Hughs and all 254 county clerks to adopt COVID-19 response plans that include extra dates for voter registration and an extension of early voting. Let Texans Vote information is available in both English and Spanish.
“Protecting our right to vote is fundamental to our democracy,” said Lauren Coffee, statewide policy and advocacy manager for the ACLU of Texas. “Efforts to disenfranchise voters, misinformation about the voting process in Texas and concerns about voting in a COVID-19 pandemic are reasons why Let Texans Vote is necessary. When all eligible Texans have the right vote – safely – democracy wins.”
In addition to pressing elected officials for safe elections, Let Texans Vote highlights the ACLU of Texas’ work to protect voting rights. For example, the ACLU of Texas filed a court brief supporting the Harris County clerk’s decision to send vote-by-mail applications to every registered voter in the county, which was challenged by the Texas attorney general. The ACLU of Texas also sent letters to more than a dozen Texas counties asking those jurisdictions to provide accurate Spanish translations of election information, their duty under the Voting Rights Act.
ACLU of Texas attorneys will be participating in the non-partisan Election Protection Hotline – 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) or the Spanish line 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) – responding to questions about voting and helping Texans who see activity they believe is infringing on their fundamental right to vote.
