A nonprofit organization focused on increasing Latino voter participation is suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over his investigation of voter registrations.
Paxton launched an investigation last month into organizations working in Texas who were sending out voter registration forms to people who did not request them and were possibly ineligible to vote. Paxton believes some organizations are trying to get noncitizens to vote for Democrats in this year's election.
Jolt is asking a judge to block Paxton's investigation, filing their lawsuit in federal court Friday. They said it would harm their organization and their workers and has already brought up negative comments against them online.
Political consultant Bill Miller said Paxton is challenging the legitimacy of Jolt's registration process but the group doesn't see it that way.
"Their argument is that the Republican Attorney General is trying to suppress votes," Miller said of Jolt.
So, one side is saying that a group is trying to do something illegally while the other side claims that their votes are being suppressed.
The lawsuit from Jolt mentioned that Paxton did not supply evidence or reasons of wrongdoing committed by the nonprofit. Miller finds it hard to believe that the Attorney General would be moving forward in this situation without evidence.
"I would be surprised if he's going down this path without evidence to back up what he believes is trying to take place," said Miller. "We're just going to have to see it all play out."
Miller projects that if the investigation is thrown out that Paxton will appeal it. It's possible the case gets moved out of state court and to a federal court too.
None of this is necessarily new news but Miller says the voter registration process has been getting more of the spotlight in recent years.
"The arguments of who's legitimately voting and whether they're real voters, that's been going on since elections began," he said.
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