Flouting Paxton threat, Bexar County hires firm to register voters

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Express-News is reporting that Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday approved spending nearly $400,000 to blanket the county with voter registration forms to increase participation in the Nov. 5 election — flouting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who threatened to sue over the measure. Jacque Callanen, the county’s elections administrator, also opposed the planned mailout, and scores of Republican opponents turned up at commissioners’ court to try to derail the effort. The commissioners court voted 3-1 to hire a third-party firm to mail about 210,000 voter registration forms to Bexar County residents. Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody, the lone Republican on the five-member court, voted no, and Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert abstained. Harris County commissioners tabled discussion of a similar proposal last week — a possible, $200,000 pilot program to send registration forms to non-commercial addresses where no voters are currently registered, among other voter registration initiatives.

In letters to Bexar and Harris counties on Sunday, Paxton cautioned that the distribution of forms could include people who are ineligible to vote in November. “At worst, it may induce the commission of a crime by encouraging individuals who are ineligible to vote to provide false information on the form,” Paxton wrote. “Either way, it is illegal, and if you move forward with this proposal, I will use all available legal means to stop you.” Paxton added that the counties lack the legal authority to print and mail forms that haven’t been requested by voters. In 2020, the state sued Harris County over a similar effort, when officials there wanted to mail ballot applications to all of its registered voters. The Texas Supreme Court ruled in that case that the counties were only allowed by state law to mail applications requested by voters. The following year, as part of a sweeping election law overhaul bill, Senate Bill 1, the Republican-dominated state Legislature codified that ruling by making it a state jail felony for local election officials to send unsolicited mail ballot applications.