Company
Date Published
Author
Alex Yule
Word count
831
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

In October 2020, Texas Governor Greg Abbott decided to reduce the number of ballot drop boxes in the state to one per county, significantly impacting Harris County, the third-most populous county in the United States. This decision reduced the number of drop-off locations in Harris County, which includes Houston, from 12 to 1, affecting millions of residents' ability to vote due to increased travel times. The Center for American Progress conducted an isochrone analysis that demonstrated a dramatic drop in accessibility, with only 29 percent of residents able to reach a drop-off site within a 20-minute drive, compared to 87 percent before the change. The analysis highlights how travel time calculations can reveal accessibility issues and are crucial for understanding voting access challenges, particularly in densely populated areas where voters cannot cross county lines to access ballot boxes.