In a move that’s ruffling feathers across the political spectrum, Bexar County Commissioners have greenlighted a plan to outsource voter registration efforts, signaling a shift in the way Texas counties are approaching electoral engagement. Commissioners approved the call for around $600,000 to pay for a subscription to Civic Government Solutions (CGS), a company that leverages a "proprietary database" to locate unregistered voters and encourage them to participate in the electoral process. This model departs from the traditional methods spearheaded by nonprofits and political campaigns.
The conversation circling this development is charged, as critics from the Republican side view the move as a potential boost for Democratic turnout in what is considered a stronghold. According to the San Antonio Report, Bexar County Commissioner Grant Moody, the sole dissenting vote from the court, highlighted concerns regarding the timing and appearance of the initiative, stating, "Trying to maximize turnout in a Democratic county months before the election, the appearance doesn’t look good." CGS, however, asserts that its efforts are nonpartisan and aims to increase civic engagement among all eligible voters.
Speaking to the San Antonio Report, CGS CEO Jeremy Smith addressed suspicions of partisan motives, indicating that similar initiatives in other states have not shifted their political leanings. He said, "But efforts to make it easier to vote, when you look at other states around the country, have produced no change in the partisan tilts of those states." CGS claims to have identified some 250,000 targets in Bexar County, which is approximately 75% of the eligible unregistered voters there.
This contract with CGS is part of a broader trend in Texas where a tug of war between local efforts to ease voting restrictions and state-level pushback continues. The state has taken measures against practices such as extended voting hours and drive-thru polling, which sought to increase voter access. Despite this, counties like Bexar are finding ways to innovate within existing frameworks to foster voter engagement. This approach is endorsed by Bexar County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez as being in-line with counties' state-given authority, he told the San Antonio Report.
In tandem with contracting CGS, Bexar County officials have also decided to revive and restructure the Elections & Voter Engagement Advisory Committee, which was established in 2019 but became inactive due to the pandemic. This committee is set to guide the county as it seeks a new elections chief, a role that Jacque Callanen will leave after the approaching November election. Voting rights advocates like Texas Civil Rights Project and MOVE Texas have lauded these developments, expressing optimism for a more fair and inclusive electoral process in Bexar County.
