Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the Bexar County Commissioners Court following their decision to implement a program that would distribute voter registration applications en masse to residents, regardless of their eligibility or whether they had requested such forms.
On September 3, the Bexar County Commissioners Court approved a plan to hire a third-party vendor, funded by taxpayer money, to print and mail voter registration forms to unregistered individuals within the county. The distribution of these forms to unverified recipients could lead ineligible individuals—such as felons and noncitizens—to unlawfully attempt voter registration. Texas counties lack statutory authority to print and mail state voter registration forms, rendering the proposal illegal.
Attorney General Paxton had previously issued a warning letter to the Bexar County Commissioners Court, stating his intention to sue if the county proceeded with the program. Following the commissioners' approval of the initiative, Paxton has now sought an injunction through legal action to prevent its implementation.
“Despite being warned against adopting this blatantly illegal program that would spend taxpayer dollars to mail registration applications to potentially ineligible voters, Bexar County has irresponsibly chosen to violate the law,” said Attorney General Paxton. “This program is completely unlawful and potentially invites election fraud. It is a crime to register to vote if you are ineligible.”
For further details on the filing, click here.