Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is not backing down from his legal battle against Bexar County's voter registration actions. Paxton filed a notice of appeal after a judge dismissed a lawsuit from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) which challenged the county's program of mailing unsolicited voter registration forms. The OAG argued that Bexar County unlawfully distributed these forms to thousands of residents without verifying their eligibility, as detailed in a press release from his office.

Despite warnings from Paxton on September 2 that the plan to have third-party vendors mail out voter registration forms would be against the law, the Bexar County Commissioners Court pushed forward with their approval. The controversy continued as Paxton sued and while the OAG sought a court hearing, Bexar County delayed, asking for more time for preparation. But before the rescheduled hearing, the county filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, revealing that they had already proceeded with the mailouts in secret.

The crux of the matter for the Attorney General is the integrity of elections. "In a display of bad faith, Bexar County engaged in dirty tricks to avoid appropriate judicial review of a clearly unlawful program that invites voter fraud," Paxton said on his official website. The County's rapid distribution of the forms prior to the court hearing led to the judge deeming the state's motion as moot, resulting in the case's dismissal.

Paxton's determination to challenge the court's decision is clear. By appealing the ruling, he aims to hold Bexar County accountable for what he views as a blatant disregard for election laws. He contends the County knew its actions were incorrect but chose to execute the mailouts before the court could review the matter.