North Houston News

Republican Texas gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines recently spoke out against changes to requesting mail-in ballot applications.

According to Texas Scorecard, Senate Bill 1, which passed in a special session in 2021, says that if an election administrator receives an application for a mail-in ballot with a signature that doesn't match the signature on file, the administrator can still accept the application if it has a correct Social Security number or driver's license number as a form of identification. 

Critics of the legislation are concerned that vote harvesters will be able to steal or purchase SSNs and driver's license numbers and fill out fraudulent ballots. Critics also point out that SB 1 lessens punishment for voter fraud.

"Conservatives have demanded that (Gov. Greg) Abbott secure the election and restrict the use of these easily falsifiable mail-in ballots, but instead, he signed a bill making it easier for vote harvesters to count ballots which should be rejected," Huffines said. "It’s time to fire Abbott so we can secure our elections and guarantee that politicians are truly accountable to Texans. When I am governor, I will."

In Texas, only voters who are older than 65, disabled or are out of town are allowed to vote by mail, according to NPR News.

Senate Bill 1 went into effect in December, and NPR reports that several counties are rejecting hundreds of vote-by-mail applications because of voter confusion over the new ID requirements. Voters must match the identification on their application with that of their voter registration, but some don't remember the form of ID they used when registering. Under the new law, if the ID information does not match, the application is rejected.

An amendment to SB 1 proposed by Republican state Rep. Steve Allison downgrades the penalty for illegal voting from a second-degree felony to a Class A misdemeanor, according to Texas Scorecard. The amendment was added by a vote of 80-35.

Don Huffines is the CEO of Huffines Communities, a Dallas/Fort Worth-based real estate development firm. From 2015 to 2019 Huffines served in the Texas Senate, representing the people of Texas' 16th senate district.

Huffines joins a crowded field, along with former Florida Congressman and Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and media personality Chad Prather, challenging Abbott in the Mar. 1 GOP gubernatorial primary, according to Ballotpedia.

Former El Paso City Council member and U.S. Congressman Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke leads the Democratic field for nomination to run for governor. O'Rourke previously mounted two unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. Senate and president of the United States. 

Elected in 2014, Abbott is currently serving as the 48th governor of Texas. Before being elected governor, Abbott was the longest-serving attorney general of Texas.