‘THREE EASY STEPS’

Texas Lt. Gov.’s Bungle Imperils Thousands of Republican Mail-in Votes

The state’s second-in-command mailed out ballot application envelopes addressed to the wrong place.

Last month, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sent a mass mailing to Texas voters in his own party that included envelopes meant for mail-in voting applications addressed to the Texas Secretary of State. Those applications, however, are required to be returned not to the secretary but to local elections offices. Thousands of registered Texas Republicans responded to Patrick’s missives and sent their applications, so the state is now in the midst of sorting out the misdirected forms, which has resulted in delays that may exclude some Republican voters from an upcoming March primary altogether. Asked by the Texas Tribune about the move, Patrick’s campaign defended its “three easy steps” mailers, citing unfounded Republican suspicion of local Democratic elections officers. A spokesman said, “The decision to direct return mail to the Secretary of State, someone who is trusted and respected, gave voters an added layer of comfort.” Texas signed a new measure into law last year meant to restrict access to early and mail-in voting.