On Wednesday A Texas state judge ruled that voters who are concerned about the safety of in-person voting at the polling stations amid the coronavirus pandemic are eligible for mail-in voting.

“Today is a victory for all Texans,” Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement to the press. “The right to vote is central to our democracy.” 

“Our state is better off when more Texans participate in our democracy,” the statement added. “Voting by mail is safe, secure, and accessible. It allows more voters to participate in our democracy, and it’s a commonsense way to run an election, especially during a public health crisis.”

On the same afternoon, Attorney General for Texas, Ken Paxton said that fear of the coronavirus pandemic was not a valid reason for Texas residents to apply for an absentee ballot, disputing with the ruling by the district court.

“Mail ballots based on disability are specifically reserved for those who are physically ill and cannot vote in-person as a result,” Paxton said in a statement. “Fear of contracting COVID-19 does not amount to a sickness or physical condition as required by the Legislature.”

Prior to the Wednesday order, only Texas voters with a “qualifying reason” — advanced age, disability, incarceration or planned travel — could mail in ballots. 

The temporary injunction from district judge Tim Sulak in Travis County, issued from the bench, expands the definition of “disability” to include those with concerns about the potential health implications of in-person voting, according to the Texas Tribune.

Across the nation, election officials are racing to ramp up alternative methods like mail-in voting as the Covid-19 pandemic raises concerns about the kind of large gatherings generated by in-person voting, which public health officials have urged Americans to avoid.

States are scrambling to prevent a situation similar to Wisconsin, just last week. Where widespread in-person voting took place, despite the hastily made efforts to avoid that outcome amid a virus that had infected some 2,500 and killed nearly 80 within the state by the time they could vote.