“The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) was under the impression we were working in good faith with the Texas Democratic Party (TDP) on a bipartisan solution regarding possible postponement of the May 26 Primary Runoff Election due to the Coronavirus pandemic. We were initially encouraged that defending the sacred right to vote seemed to transcend partisan politics. Sadly, instead of discussing these matters directly as the state’s two major parties, the Texas Democratic Party has decided to devalue important voter defense issues through the media with the public release tonight of their letter.
“The Republican Party of Texas has a duty to defend the sanctity of the vote for all Texans. The Texas Democratic Party suggested a “voting” method by which voters would drop off ballots in bins in a drive-through setting and then let the ballots sit for five days hoping for contaminants or viruses to wear off. Given absurdities like that, I was not willing to agree to ‘immediately making significant changes to our election processes,’ as their letter stated.
“The Texas Democrat Party has now revealed their true intentions in our discussions. They intend to use this crisis to advance an agenda that does not defend the rights of voters.
“The Republican Party of Texas will ask Governor Abbott for the Primary Runoff to be held at a later date to allow for time to ensure that Texas voters and their votes are protected and safeguarded.
“The Republican Party of Texas continues to work in good faith to find solutions to the many challenges presented by the Coronavirus pandemic. But challenging times do not grant license to trample the rights of Texans to have the full weight of their votes counted. We will not participate in schemes that put votes and results of the elections at risk.
“The proposal of the TDP does nothing more than advance an agenda which would compromise the ballot box and lend more uncertainty in already uncertain times.”
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