From PolitiFact Texas/Austin American-Statesman:
Texas Democrats fought to expand access to mail-in ballots in the state to all voters during the primary runoff election, citing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic in multiple lawsuits filed in state and federal courts.
Their efforts were blocked, meaning the normal rules for voting by mail were in place for the July election and extra safety precautions were in place at polling sites, including finger coverings for using the voting machines and social distancing for those waiting to vote.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, fought the effort to expand mail-in voting through the courts, where cases are still pending that could impact voting during the November election.
During an interview with Progress Texas, a liberal advocacy group, state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, said Republicans should support the expansion of mail-in voting because of the demographics of the party’s supporters.
“In Texas, vote-by-mail overwhelmingly benefits Republicans,” Wu said. “The average age of the Republican voter is like 20 years older than the average Democrat. It is a lot. Their average age is like 65, or something crazy high like that.”
In Texas, state law allows people who meet certain criteria to apply to vote through the mail, which includes any person over 65 years old.
So, is Wu’s comparison accurate? Is the average Republican voter in Texas really 20 years older than the average Democratic voter?
Hear how Wu’s claim scored in the audio player above, and read more about his claim here.
