Paxton continues voter intimidation efforts
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton deploying “Election Day Rapid Response Legal Team” From suing to block voter registration efforts in Travis and Bexar counties, to threatening potentials voters with criminal prosecutions, to suing the federal government over the non-existent issue of “illegal aliens” voting, all the way to most likely being the driving force between new moves by the Texas Department of Public Safety’s driver license division to refuse to make court-ordered changes to names and gender markers on state IDs – Texas Attorney General has been doing his best to keep (non-white, non-cisgender, non-heterosexual, non-male) Texans from voting in this year’s elections.
And today – Monday, Nov. 4, the day before Election Day – Paxton announced his will be deploting an “Election Day Rapid Response Legal Team” in major counties (read: larger counties that tend to vote blue) to “monitor day-of election activity and address litigation arising from the election, as necessary.” According to a press release today from the OAG, this team will be “equipped to enforce Texas election laws and take immediate action on any contingencies, including issues seen in previous cycles such as ballot shortages, extended polling location closures and improper extension of voting hours.” Paxton is also threatening to “take defensive action against activist groups who might attempt to influence the election through litigation.” “There is no issue more important and more fundamental to our nation than election integrity,” Paxton declared in the press release, “We will defend the ballot box from any bad actors seeking to unduly influence or illegally undermine Texas elections.” (Everyone except, of course, the actual “bad actors” like Paxton who are trying to suppress the non-right-wing voting public.) Paxton says anyone who “suspects an election violation” should contact the OAG tipline at IllegalVoting@oag.texas.gov.
