Gerry Monroe, a candidate for Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board Trustee, District 9, has joined a lawsuit accusing Isabel Longoria of clearly breaking Texas State election laws by mailing out unsolicited absentee ballot applications.
Monroe released this statement-
By sending out illegal/unsolicited applications to vote by mail in violation of the Texas Elections Code, Ms. Longoria has impacted my campaign allowing illegal votes to be cast that will influence the results in my election and create an environment for ballot harvesting to occur. Her illegal conduct also creates confusion amongst voters who did not request the application from the Election Administrator/Longoria and allows the fraud to occur in the ballot by mail process.
I am injured by Longoria’s violation of the Texas Election Code in that sending unsolicited application to vote by mail to those who are sixty-five and older will result in illegal votes being cast in my race. This conduct is directly traceable to Longoria in that she is sending the unsolicited applications to vote by mail.
Longoria was handpicked by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia, and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis in a straight party line vote 3-2. Harris County Commissioner Jack Cagle and Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey, were the two sustaining votes.
Katy Christian Magazine reached out to former Texas Supreme Court Justice, and candidate for the Texas Attorney General, Eva Guzman, for a comment, and she had this to say, “Texans have made clear they want to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat, and the legislature has delivered on that request, passing common-sense measures to ensure our votes are protected. As AG, I would fight to protect the rule of law every time and ensure every Texan has confidence in the security of the ballot box.”
Left: Lina Hidalgo, Middle: Adrian Garcia and Right: Rodney Ellis
This is a copy of the Texas Election Code pertaining to this matter-
ELECTION CODE
TITLE 7. EARLY VOTING
SUBTITLE A. EARLY VOTING
CHAPTER 82. ELIGIBILITY FOR EARLY VOTING
Sec. 82.001. ABSENCE FROM COUNTY OF RESIDENCE. (a) Subject to Subsection (b), a qualified voter is eligible for early voting by mail if the voter expects to be absent from the county of the voter’s residence on election day and during the regular hours for conducting early voting at the main early voting polling place for that part of the period for early voting by personal appearance remaining after the voter’s early voting ballot application is submitted to the early voting clerk.
(b) If a voter’s early voting ballot application is submitted on or after the first day of the period for early voting by personal appearance, the voter is ineligible for early voting by mail unless the voter is absent from the county when the application is submitted and satisfies the requirements prescribed by Subsection (a).
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 472, Sec. 19, eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 203, Sec. 2.05; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 554, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991.
Sec. 82.002. DISABILITY OR CONFINEMENT FOR CHILDBIRTH. (a) A qualified voter is eligible for early voting by mail if the voter:
(1) has a sickness or physical condition that prevents the voter from appearing at the polling place on election day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring the voter’s health; or
(2) is expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after election day.
(b) The following do not constitute sufficient cause to entitle a voter to vote under Subsection (a):
(1) a lack of transportation;
(2) a sickness that does not prevent the voter from appearing at the polling place on election day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring the voter’s health; or
(3) a requirement to appear at the voter’s place of employment on election day.
(c) To be eligible for an early voting ballot by mail under Subsection (a)(1), an applicant must affirmatively indicate that he or she agrees with the statement prescribed by Section 84.002(c).
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 472, Sec. 19, eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 203, Sec. 2.05; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 554, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 864, Sec. 69, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.
Amended by:
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 728 (H.B. 3920), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2021.
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 728 (H.B. 3920), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2021.
Sec. 82.003. AGE. A qualified voter is eligible for early voting by mail if the voter is 65 years of age or older on election day.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 472, Sec. 19, eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 203, Sec. 2.05; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 554, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991.
Sec. 82.004. CONFINEMENT IN JAIL. (a) A qualified voter is eligible for early voting by mail if, at the time the voter’s early voting ballot application is submitted, the voter is confined in jail:
(1) serving a misdemeanor sentence for a term that ends on or after election day;
(2) pending trial after denial of bail;
(3) without bail pending an appeal of a felony conviction; or
(4) pending trial or appeal on a bailable offense for which release on bail before election day is unlikely.
(b) A voter confined in jail who is eligible for early voting is not entitled to vote by personal appearance unless the authority in charge of the jail, in the authority’s discretion, permits the voter to do so.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 472, Sec. 19, eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 554, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991. Renumbered from Election Code Sec. 82.005 and amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 203, Sec. 1.02; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 864, Sec. 70, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.
Sec. 82.005. ELIGIBILITY FOR EARLY VOTING BY PERSONAL APPEARANCE. Any qualified voter is eligible for early voting by personal appearance.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 472, Sec. 19, eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 554, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991. Renumbered from Election Code Sec. 82.006 and amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 203, Sec. 1.02.
Sec. 82.007. PARTICIPATION IN ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM. A qualified voter is eligible for early voting by mail if:
(1) the voter submitted a registration application by personal delivery as required by Section 13.002(e); and
(2) at the time the voter’s early voting ballot application is submitted, the voter is certified for participation in the address confidentiality program administered by the attorney general under Subchapter B, Chapter 58, Code of Criminal Procedure.
Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1295 (S.B. 74), Sec. 7, eff. June 15, 2007.
Amended by:
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 469 (H.B. 4173), Sec. 2.28, eff. January 1, 2021.
Sec. 82.008. INVOLUNTARY CIVIL COMMITMENT. A qualified voter is eligible for early voting by mail if, at the time the voter’s early voting ballot application is submitted, the voter is a person who is civilly committed as a sexually violent predator under Chapter 841, Health and Safety Code, and is ordered as a condition of civil commitment to reside in a facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Civil Commitment Office.
Added by Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 711 (H.B.
3107), Sec. 45, eff. September 1, 2021.
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