Texas counties are rejecting record numbers of mail-in ballot applications just days after the start of early voting as post-2020 changes to voting laws reshape the conduct of elections in the second-largest U.S. state.
Harris County, home to Houston and a population bigger than half the states in the union, has rejected more than a third of mail-in ballots sent in thus far for the March 1 primary. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of requests for mail-in ballots also have foundered because of stricter requirements, the county said. In Cameron County along the border with Mexico, the application rejection rate has soared tenfold since the last midterm elections in 2018.
“We know the numbers are significantly larger than any other election we’ve conducted in Texas history,’’ said Remi Garza, the top official in Cameron County and president of the Texas Association of Election Administrators.
