Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued a cautionary advisory warning Texans about the potential risks associated with unsolicited voter registration applications. This move comes as entities across the state have been sending out mailouts of these forms, some of which are partially pre-filled. Paxton's announcement highlighted that just because someone receives a voter registration application doesn't necessarily mean they are eligible to vote. Registering in spite of ineligibility, for being a felon or noncitizen for instance, is considered a criminal act.
Paxton's office also advised against local government efforts to outsource these mailouts through contracts with third-party vendors, calling such actions exceedings of their legal boundaries and labeling them violations of Texas law. "There is no issue more important to our political system than election security," mentioned Attorney General Paxton in their website. "Receiving a voter registration application does not necessarily mean you are eligible to vote. If you are ineligible and attempt to register anyway, you are committing a crime."
The issue came to a head when Bexar and Harris Counties were warned against the alleged unlawful use of taxpayer funds to contract firms purportedly linked to partisan groups for the purpose of mailing out these applications. Despite the warning, when Bexar County proceeded with their program, Paxton filed a lawsuit. Similarly, a lawsuit has been brought against Travis County after they initiated a program aimed at harvesting personal data from residents possibly not registered to vote.
Amid warnings and lawsuits, the conversation around voter registration in Texas becomes increasingly fraught. Residents have been advised to carefully consider their eligibility before attempting to register to vote using any application, solicited or otherwise.
