Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has called out voter registration initiatives being pursued by Bexar and Harris Counties, claiming they are unlawful and potentially dangerous.
A press release from Paxton’s office, issued earlier this week, cast a spotlight on the potential legal issues that could stem from the new registration initiatives.
The Bexar County Commissioners Court voted on Tuesday to allocate taxpayer funds to a third-party vendor tasked with mailing voter registration forms to unregistered residents.
Harris County is considering a similar mail-in registration system, which has raised concerns from Paxton’s office.
In letters to the commissioners of Bexar County and Harris County, Paxton argued that such plans violate state law by distributing voter registration forms to people who have not requested them and whose eligibility to vote has not been verified. He went on to claim that such a system could lead ineligible individuals, including felons and noncitizens, to register to vote.
“It is unlawful and reckless for counties to use taxpayer dollars to indiscriminately send voter registration forms with no consideration of the recipients’ eligibility and without any statutory authority to do so,” Paxton said.
“These counties’ attempts to do so after the Biden-Harris Administration has allowed millions of illegal aliens to enter the country are especially troubling,” he added.
According to Texas law, the responsibility for printing and mailing state voter registration forms does not fall under the jurisdiction of county governments. By pursuing this initiative, both Bexar and Harris Counties may be overstepping their authority.
Paxton made it clear that he would initiate litigation to enforce compliance with Texas law.
His letter to Bexar County commissioners concluded with a warning:
“It is more important than ever that we maintain the integrity of our voter rolls and ensure only eligible voters decide our elections. Your proposal does the opposite by indiscriminately inviting county residents to register to vote regardless of their eligibility. I urge you to abandon this proposal. If you do not, I will see you in court.”
The attorney general’s letters show a broader concern about the integrity of voter rolls and the potential for abuse in the registration process in Texas.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Gov. Greg Abbott revealed in August that Texas had purged over one million ineligible voters from its voter rolls since 2021.
According to data from Abbott’s office, more than 6,500 individuals identified as “noncitizens” and more than 6,000 people with felony convictions were removed.
Additionally, more than 457,000 deceased individuals have been removed from the voter rolls, and 463,000 names previously on the suspended list have also been deleted.