A federal judge in Texas on Friday barred officials from enforcing Governor Greg Abbott's order that would limit the number of mail in voting drop off boxes to one per county.
But Judge Robert Pitman said the directive imposed a "burden on an already vulnerable voting population that is somewhere between 'slight' and 'severe.'".
Abbott's order, which was issued last week, was criticized by officials in some of Texas' largest counties who were planning to set up multiple drop off locations in order to make it easier to return mail ballots.
Harris County, a 1,777-square-mile region that's home to Houston and is the country's third largest county, had established 11 drop off locations before the governor issued his order.
Some activists also raised concerns that the reduced locations could disproportionately affect low-income voters and voters of color.
Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa cheered the decision, saying in a statement, "Governor Abbott's attempt to suppress Texas voters has been thwarted.".
Abbott's order reducing the number of drop off locations also allowed poll watchers to observe drop off sites. »