During the first and only vice presidential debate of 2020, tensions were high as Democratic candidate and Senator Kamala Harris, and Vice President Mike Pence took to the stage to discuss pressing issues including COVID-19, unemployment and trade deals with China.
Toward the end of the debate, Harris accused the Trump administration of voter suppression, due to its resistance against mail-in voting. Trump has previously said mail-in voting leads to voting fraud.
"(President Donald Trump) openly attempted to suppress the vote," Harris said. "Joe Biden, on the other hand, on that same debate stage said, 'hey, just please vote.'"
Pence was quick to deny the accusation, saying it was "not true."
"President Trump and I are fighting every day in courthouses to prevent Joe Biden and Kamala Harris from changing the rules and creating this universal mail-in voting which would create massive opportunity for voter fraud," Pence said.
The New York Times reports, Trump's claims about mail-in ballots being "very dangerous for this country," is false because voting fraud is rare, according to various studies.
Following the president's lead, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Oct. 1 that Texas counties must designate only one mail-in ballot drop-off location each, no matter how populous the county is. Texas absentee ballots must be postmarked by 7 p.m. on Election Day and received by 5 p.m. the next day in order to be counted.
Abbott claimed the limits on drop-off locations were necessary to ensure election integrity.
Democratic congressional committee chairs U.S. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-South Carolina; and U.S. Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-California; and Carolyn Maloney, D-New York, have asked Abbott via letter to rescind his proclamation, saying it appears to be an attempt at voter suppression.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 35% of people will vote via absentee ballot this year.
Voting rights groups and some voters have filed a lawsuit to overturn the governor's order. But they'll have to move quickly before early voting next week, the Texas Tribune reports.
While people are afraid to vote in person in the face of COVID-19, worries that their vote will not be counted is deterring people from using the absentee ballot system, according to NPR.
Voters, voting rights groups sue Gov. Greg Abbott over order to close ballot drop-off locations
(Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune)
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Popular
Homeless residents gather an at a camp under an overpass in South Austin. (Jordan Vonderhaar)
Editor's note: These submissions are the unedited views of their authors. Claims made have not been fact-checked to give the proponent and opponent a chance to speak their minds freely.
Pro: Voting yes on Prop B sends a message to council that voters' voices and real solutions are paramount
In June 2019, the Austin City Council rescinded regulations on camping in public spaces. They did so without any serious public discussion and in fact appeared to actively avoid serious scrutiny. The resulting chaos is clear for all to see. Parks and playgrounds impacted by illicit behavior, lewd activities in public, trash strewn in waterways and public spaces, and most critically, assaults on the public and on other homeless individuals.
It is obvious that the homeless are not helped by this misadventure. Vulnerable women and youth in these camps are abused, mentally ill individuals are not served and there is no incentive for substance abusers to seek help.
Proponents of this mess have put forward no credible plan for any short term housing that restores safety—instead they talk about abstract housing concepts that even they acknowledge will take years to develop. This is the mark of narrowly focused activism, not what citizens should expect from elected leaders who promise to serve their communities. At every turn, the proponents of this chaos have demonstrated that they are not capable of fully considering the needs of diverse communities and proposing workable solutions. Instead they simply double down on trying to tell Austin that anything other than their chaos is heartless and inhumane. This is intellectually lazy, and Austin should demand better.
The chaos created by the City Council has resulted in a public outcry culminating in the citizens demanding to be heard by direct ballot. This demand is across the political and economic spectrum. As a co-founder of the Save Austin Now PAC and a lifelong Democrat, I have seen the diversity of people raising their voices in concern for our city.
It's time we turn this situation around and vote yes on Prop B. It sends a clear message to the council that the citizens of Austin must be heard as we work toward real solutions. There are successful models to learn from and some in our own state. But it all starts with voting yes on Prop B starting April 19.
Con: Prop B blames homeless individuals rather than providing solutions to societal problems
Austin's homeless population needs help, but Prop B doesn't do anything to solve our city's problems. It simply tells people who are experiencing homelessness that they cannot exist, visibly, in public space. I, too, am worried about the encampments. They are evidence that our strategies to help people return to housing aren't sufficient. But telling people "You can't stay here" without giving them alternatives isn't a solution.
The reason so many people are experiencing homelessness is that it takes a long time to get into housing, even when you do everything right. Shelters are at capacity, we lack deeply affordable housing, landlords can refuse housing vouchers, and housing programs are full.
As a case study, I want to tell you about "Bill," whom I met two years ago. Bill was a veteran, father, former truck driver and person of faith. He was also homeless and unsheltered. Bill had recently suffered a series of strokes and was desperate for both disability income and housing.
Bill and I worked together every single week for 17 months. He eventually was awarded disability and moved into his own apartment.
Bill's situation is typical of hundreds of people who are stymied by our complicated processes and lack of housing. Prop B would not add resources for people like Bill. Read the ballot language. Because Prop B bans "camping," people would have to move around constantly to avoid being cited. All that moving around takes time and energy. People like Bill would have a harder time keeping their appointments with case managers. Unpaid fines from citations build a criminal record—and landlords can choose not to rent to someone with a record. So punishing people for not having housing makes it even harder to get housing. Prop B hurts, not helps.
In this election, Austinites have a choice to criminalize people like Bill or to work toward solutions. Prop B places the blame on individuals rather than recognizing homelessness as a failure of society.
Prop B is an inhumane and wrong response. Oppose Prop B, and let's focus on solutions. Learn more here.- Austin Mayor Steve Adler says camping ban 'is not working' - austonia ›
- Calls, counts and camps: Homelessness in Austin by the numbers ... ›
- Austonia's guide to the May 1 local election - austonia ›
