HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Voting is at the center of several cases playing out in the courts, and there have been lawsuits filed by Republicans and Democrats.
The latest is a battle over more than 125,000 votes cast at Harris County's drive-thru polling locations in the Houston area.
Republicans filed another lawsuit to stop drive-thru voting in the county. The new petition asks the court to reject votes already cast through drive-thru voting.
>> A federal judge is holding a hearing on the challenge to drive-thru voting, a hearing that began at 10:30 a.m. this morning. Check back for updates.
Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins released a statement Saturday in response to a lawsuit:
“Drive-thru voting is a safe, secure and convenient way to vote,” Hollins said in a statement. “Texas Election Code allows it, the Secretary of State approved it, and 127,000 voters from all walks of life have used it. Our office is committed to counting every vote cast by registered voters in this election. In the event court proceedings require any additional steps from these voters, we will work swiftly to provide that information to the public.”
In the last month, KHOU 11 has reported on legal battles involving voting by mail, extended early voting, drive-thru voting and mask requirements at polling places.
As of Thursday night, Harris County had surpassed its entire voter turnout from the 2016 General Election. Hollins said more than 1.3 million votes were cast in 2016 in Harris County. Nearly 1.4 million votes have been cast so far this year, the most in Harris County history.