Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday followed through on his threat to sue Bexar County over a new program that will mail out voter registration forms to unregistered voters.
Bexar County commissioners approved the proposal on Tuesday during a commissioners meeting.
The county will enter into a $392,700 contract agreement with firm Civic Government Solutions to print and mail about 210,000 voter registration application forms to unregistered voters.
Paxton had previously warned that he would sue the county if it approved the proposal.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores spoke in defiance of Paxton on Tuesday.
"The word 'integrity' was used in a statement by the attorney general regarding our voter rolls and [to] ensure only eligible voters can vote. And that's exactly what we are trying to pass today and why I was proud to second it — so we can encourage and make sure Americans exercise their right to vote," she said.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody was the lone vote against the proposal. Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert abstained from voting.
Legal counsel Larry Roberson, the chief of the civil division of the Bexar County District Attorney's Office, told commissioners that Paxton could sue but his legal threats were "misleading."
Paxton officially announced the lawsuit against Bexar County on Wednesday morning.
"Despite being warned against adopting this blatantly illegal program that would send taxpayer dollars to mail registration applications to potentially ineligible voters, Bexar County has irresponsibly chosen to violate the law," Paxton wrote in a press release.
He also argued Texas counties have no statutory authority to print and mail state voter registration forms.
The lawsuit asked for an injunction to prevent the program from taking effect.
Paxton also threatened Harris County with a lawsuit over a similar effort to register voters. Harris County Commissioners tabled the proposal last week.
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