AUSTIN, Texas — A new lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is now targeting Travis County.
An unofficial copy of the lawsuit obtained by KVUE claims county commissioners stepped outside their authority by hiring a "partisan" third-party group to identify potentially unregistered voters.
Paxton filed a similar lawsuit against Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, earlier this week over plans to mail voter registration forms. He also threatened to sue Harris County if it sent out voter registration forms.
“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 in a statement confirming the lawsuit. “Programs like this invite fraud and reduce public trust in our elections. We will stop them and any other county considering such programs.”
A Travis County spokesperson told KVUE in a statement that they're proud of their outreach efforts to achieve higher voter registration numbers. Here's their full response:
“Travis County is committed to encouraging voter participation and we are proud of our outreach efforts that achieve higher voter registration numbers. We remain steadfast in our responsibility to uphold the integrity of the voter registration process while ensuring that every eligible person has the opportunity to exercise their right to vote. It is disappointing that any statewide elected official would prefer to sow distrust and discourage participation in the electoral process.”
Recently, Texas Democrats urged the Department of Justice to investigate Paxton's office for possible civil rights violations, accusing them of launching illegal "raids" focused on the homes of Latinos.
Austin Congressman Lloyd Doggett said Paxton is using taxpayer dollars to “execute outrageous search warrants against South Texas Latinos," and is inspired by former president Donald Trump’s “dangerous rhetoric." Doggett also accused Paxton of abusing his power.