Texas Unions Call on Secretary of State, Abbott to Affirm Support for Drive-Thru Voting

HOUSTON — Texas unions today joined calls for the Texas Secretary of State Ruth Hughs and Governor Greg Abbott to make it clear to voters that drive-thru voting is valid and that all votes cast will be counted.

Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation Executive Director Hany Khalil said, “Panicking that they could lose badly at the polls, state and local Republican officials are pulling out every stop to make voting harder and confuse voters to suppress voter turnout. Now Attorney General Paxton’s actions and the Secretary of State Hughs’ silence on drive-thru voting suggest Republicans may be planning to try to disenfranchise the more than 70,000 Harris County voters who have already cast a drive-thru ballot. The Texas Secretary of State must do her job, and Governor Abbott must make his position clear. They have a responsibility to ensure every vote will be counted. ”

Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy said the state needs to step in — immediately — to confirm the will of all voters.

“In the most important election of our lives, every vote needs to be counted,” Levy said. “There is no legitimate reason, especially in a pandemic, to question drive-through votes cast in good faith by tens of thousands of Harris County voters who want their voices to make a difference. Working families will not tolerate suppression of any eligible voter’s right to cast a ballot. We will fight to make certain each vote gets equal voice.”

Harris County previously received approval from the Secretary of State for drive-thru voting, and it has been enormously popular throughout early vote, with almost 10% of voters in Harris County casting their ballot using drive-thru voting.

— — — —

The Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation (TGCALF), AFL-CIO unites the power of 95 unions representing 60,000 union members across 13 counties to advocate for working families in the Texas Gulf Coast. We mobilize our members and community partners to demand a fair shot at better lives for all working people — regardless of the color of our skin, which country we come from, or whom we love. Learn more: www.gcaflcio.org/

###