Court allows Texas postal vote restrictions

A US appeals court has issued a temporary stay that will allow Texas to limit drop-off points to just one per county in next month's election.

Drop-off points were set up to allow voters to submit ballots in advance rather than rely on the postal service.

The decision came after another court blocked an order by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, drastically limiting these points.

But Democrats say this amounts to voter suppression.

A record number of people are expected to vote by mail in this year's election due to the pandemic.

The US Postal Service already has already warned ballot papers may not arrive in time to be counted on election day, 3 November.

The order was first issued by Governor Abbott earlier this month. He said it would help curb "illegal voting" - mirroring President Donald Trump's claims, made without evidence, that postal voting is a major source of electoral fraud.

A federal court then blocked Mr Abbott's order in a ruling on Friday. Judge Robert Pitman told the court that it would impact vulnerable people, such as older and disabled voters.