Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is being sued by his own party because of his decision to extend access to early voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
Texas Republican Party Chairman Allen West, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, and other Republican lawmakers filed a lawsuit on Wednesday claiming that Abbott did not have the legal authority to move the start date for early voting from Oct. 13 to Oct. 19. Abbott made the change using his powers granted under his pandemic emergency order in July.
“Governor Abbott seems to have forgotten that the Texas Constitution is not a document that he consults at his convenience,” said Jared Woodfill, an attorney representing the group of Republican plaintiffs. “It is an uninterrupted charter of governmental structure that limits the Governor Abbott’s ability to act as a king.”
The group argued in the lawsuit that Abbott needs to call a special legislative session to get approval from lawmakers before he can extend the window for early voting in Texas.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of West, Miller, three state senators, and four state representatives, and the Republican National Committeeman Robin Armstrong. When it was filed, however, the lawsuit included Texas Sen. Donna Campbell, who said she had not agreed to be on the lawsuit. She said that she did not agree on the “basic construct of the matter” and demanded that her name be removed from the list of plaintiffs.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to Abbott’s office for comment.
Texas was one of several states to adjust their voting practices to protect voters during the pandemic.
