CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — We are three weeks away from early voting here in Texas
And many may be wondering what straight-ticket voting will do to our local elections and how effective will it be?
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says it is too late for this ruling just weeks before elections. It's led him to currently appeal the straight-ticket voting order.
We spoke with two organizations who offer their insight on what straight-ticket voting may mean moving forward.
“Straight-ticket voting sort of encourages that whole tribal thing,” said Debbie Noble of the Corpus Christi office of the League of Women Voters. “That whole my team/your team.”
Noble said the order of straight-ticket voting could make the process easier.
But she believes it's not the right way to vote.
“We should be paying attention to who we elect, regardless of party,” she said.
Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, agrees the community should know their political candidates.
But he said straight-ticket voting is the way to go.
“This will make voting quicker, and easier, and frankly less confusing,” Fiesta said. "The argument is straight-ticket voting will ease the stress of older voters when going to polling sites during a pandemic.
“This puts retirees, older Americans at even higher risk of going to a place with a longer line and a longer wait."
Another issue many are questioning - what about the mail-in ballots and how will those be handled?
“Ballots have already started going out military and overseas people – their ballots are already in the mail,” Noble said. “The Texas election law said they had to go in the mail by Sept. 19.”
