Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Bexar County, challenging its plan to mail voter registration applications to unregistered residents.
The lawsuit comes after the county’s Commissioners Court voted 3-1 to approve a $393,000 contract with Civic Government Solutions, a third-party organization tasked with identifying unregistered voters and mailing them registration forms.
Paxton’s legal action seeks an emergency injunction, arguing that the county exceeded its legal authority and bypassed competitive bidding procedures in contracting the third-party vendor. The Attorney General also expressed concerns that the mass mailing could result in ineligible individuals attempting to register to vote, calling the initiative “blatantly illegal.”
Bexar County officials, however, maintain that the plan, aimed at making voter registration more accessible to new residents, is within the bounds of state law. County Judge Peter Sakai and other commissioners stated they are confident the initiative will withstand legal scrutiny. The voter registration drive is projected to reach approximately 210,000 residents, with the goal of registering 75,000 voters.
The lawsuit is part of a broader effort by Republican leaders in Texas to counter the Democratic-led attempts to expand voting access, particularly in urban areas. Paxton, a long-time critic of such initiatives, has previously taken legal action to block similar efforts, including halting mail-in ballot applications in Harris County during the 2020 election.
Civic Government Solutions CEO Jeremy Smith assured county leaders that the company’s work is nonpartisan, despite his personal political views. Smith emphasized that the goal is to register voters across the political spectrum.
Despite the lawsuit, Bexar County officials are moving forward with the registration effort, with safeguards in place to prevent ineligible residents from registering to vote.
