Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) filed a lawsuit against Travis County on Friday, accusing the county of violating state law by hiring Civic Government Solutions, a third-party company, to assist with voter registration efforts. Paxton alleges that the county’s actions are illegal and threaten the integrity of the election process.
The lawsuit claims that Civic Government Solutions, whose CEO has expressed support for progressive candidates, was tasked with identifying unregistered voters in Travis County, home of Austin. Paxton argued that this violates Texas law and undermines public trust.
“Travis County has blatantly violated Texas law by paying partisan actors to conduct unlawful identification efforts to track down people who are not registered to vote,” Paxton said.
Travis County spokesperson Hector Nieto defended the outreach program, stating that the county was proud of its efforts to increase voter registration while upholding the integrity of the process. Nieto criticized Paxton for “discouraging participation in the electoral process.”
This is the second lawsuit Paxton has filed this week regarding voter registration. Earlier, Paxton sued Bexar County for similarly using Civic Government Solutions to distribute voter registration forms without being requested.
The lawsuits come as Paxton continues to focus on election integrity ahead of the 2024 election season, raising concerns about the use of third-party organizations in the voter registration process. Critics argue that Paxton’s lawsuits could suppress voter participation.
