Dan Patrick sends vote by mail applications

A top Texas official who championed a bill making it crime for public officials to send out unsolicited vote by mail applications is doing just that ahead of the March primary election. An unsolicited letter that bears Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s official seal and includes an application to vote by mail was recently received by an Edgecliff Village resident. Senate Bill 1, an omnibus election law passed last year, prohibits election officials from sending applications to voters who didn’t request one, but allows candidates and political parties to send the forms. Supporters of the bill have said it was needed to bolster election integrity, though opponents say the law creates barriers to the polls. There’s been no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 general election.

“Everyone age 65 and older has earned the right to vote by mail,” the letter reads. “As Republicans, we have fought to make it easier to vote while protecting election integrity, so we need to make sure we increase our turnout by taking full advantage of this convenient and secure voting option.” The letter later continues, “Democrats are bragging again that they are going to turn Texas blue, and I’m not about to let that happen!” In Texas, voters can cast their ballots by mail if they are 65 or older, disabled or sick, expected to give birth around the election, expected to be gone from the county or are in jail but otherwise eligible. The letter touts Patrick and the Texas Senate’s work during the legislative session on issues such as “election integrity reform,” border security, education, health care and the power grid. It also notes that Patrick has endorsed State Rep. Phil King in his bid for Texas Senate. King is running in Senate District 10 which, after the latest redistricting cycle, includes parts of Tarrant and Johnson counties and all of Johnson, Palo Pinto, Stephens, Shackelford, Callahan and Brown counties.