The Collin County Democratic Party filed a formal complaint Tuesday against Attorney General Ken Paxton, accusing him of violating state law for the past two years by reporting the wrong home address while voting.
It comes in response to a Texas Tribune and ProPublica report this month that found Paxton voted in six elections over the past two years using the address of a Collin County home at which his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, said in divorce filings he no longer lives. Paxton appears to have moved to a house in Denton County, according to the article.
“For someone who's made a stand against voter fraud, it's unconscionable (yet not surprising) that Paxton engages in this behavior,” Mary Higbe, the Collin County Democratic Party vice chair, wrote in a complaint to the Texas Secretary of State.
The party also notified the Collin County District Attorney’s Office and Collin County Elections Office.
Paxton is also the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate race in November.
Madison Cercy, a spokesperson for Paxton’s senate campaign, told KERA in a statement Paxton, “is a lawful, registered Texas voter in full compliance with the law.”
“This is just another partisan hit piece attempting to smear a Republican nominee by insinuating wrongdoing where none exists,” Cercy said.
Alicia Pierce, a spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State, told KERA in an email the agency does not investigate complaints like the one filed by the Collin County Democratic Party.
“When election complaints are received, we do an initial review and will then refer to the Attorney General's office,” Pierce said.
KERA has asked the Attorney General’s office how the complaint will be handled, considering Paxton’s position as attorney general, and will update this story with any response.
Paxton claimed in an advisory this year illegal immigrants and Democratic efforts have created “urgent risks” to elections.
“You must register to vote using the address where you reside,” Paxton wrote in the advisory. “It is illegal to submit a false statement of residence on an election record such as an application for voter registration, application for ballot by mail, or poll check-in forms.”
Higbe said in a press release Paxton appears to have broken that very rule.
"Paxton has built his political career on allegations of voter fraud and championed aggressive prosecutions of election-related offenses,” Higbe said. “It's unacceptable for Attorney General Paxton to appear to disregard the very laws he expects others to follow."
Dylan Duke is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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