Bexar County officials voted to move forward with plans to mail voter registration applications to unregistered residents, despite legal threats from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The $393,000 contract with Civic Government Solutions, a third-party organization, would identify unregistered voters in the county and send out voter registration forms. Paxton threatened to sue the county, arguing that the mass-mailing of registration applications could encourage ineligible individuals to provide false information on the forms. Similar plans in Harris County have also faced opposition from Paxton.
Paxton’s objections to the voter outreach plan were based on concerns around election security, specifically regarding the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies fueling a wave of illegal immigration in Texas. He argued that maintaining the integrity of voter rolls and ensuring only eligible voters participate in elections is crucial. However, Larry Roberson of the Bexar County district attorney’s office dismissed Paxton’s threats as unfounded. Civic Government Solutions CEO Jeremy Smith assured that the firm’s outreach efforts would be nonpartisan, despite his personal political preferences.
Republicans across the country have announced efforts to enhance election security ahead of the upcoming elections. Texas Governor Greg Abbott cleared over 1.1 million ineligible voters from the state’s roll count as part of routine maintenance. Some Democratic officials, however, warned that such efforts could intimidate voters close to Election Day. GOP Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin implemented election security protocols, including a mandate for paper ballots in the 2024 presidential election, in alignment with former President Donald Trump’s claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.
In Congress, Republicans have introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship for federal elections. Democrats argue that this bill would disenfranchise certain voters, as it is already illegal for undocumented immigrants to vote in federal elections. President Joe Biden has indicated that he would veto the SAVE Act if it reaches his desk, denouncing the bill as based on easily disproven falsehoods. The ongoing debate around election security highlights political tensions and concerns regarding voter registration and participation in the upcoming elections.
