Federal judge halts Texas' 'ham-handed' voter purge
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery in San Antonio ordered Texas to temporarily stop purging electoral rolls, siding with voting-rights groups after the Texas secretary of state issued an admittedly flawed list of about 98,000 voters it said might be illegally registered. "The evidence has shown in a hearing before this court that there is no widespread voter fraud," Biery wrote in his order. Texas Secretary of State David Whitley's effort to "ferret the infinitesimal needles out of the haystack" appears to be "a solution looking for a problem," he added.
At least 25,000 voters were flagged because they applied for driver's licenses before they became naturalized citizens, making them eligible to vote, the state has acknowledged, and that number will almost certainly grow as counties cross-reference names on Whitely's list, The Texas Tribune reports. “Notwithstanding good intentions, the road to a solution was inherently paved with flawed results, meaning perfectly legal naturalized Americans were burdened with what the court finds to be ham-handed and threatening correspondence from the state," Biery wrote. “No native born Americans were subjected to such treatment.”
Biery said counties can continue to investigate if people on the list are eligible to vote as litigation continues, but they are not allowed to contact those voters directly and cannot remove a voter from the rolls "without prior approval of the court with a conclusive showing that the person is ineligible to vote." Contacting a voter to demand proof of citizenship begins a process that can lead to the voter's name being purged. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office has given conflicting accounts of whether it has started investigating any of the 98,000 flagged people for criminal fraud, criticized the decision, saying "there is no need for a federal court takeover of state activities" and "we are weighing our options to address this ruling."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date
Speed Read The former president's fraud bond has been reduced to $175 million from $464 million
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - March 26, 2024
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - the House GOP abandon ship, Joe Biden sets his stall, and more
By The Week US Published
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date
Speed Read The former president's fraud bond has been reduced to $175 million from $464 million
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New Jersey first lady exits race to replace Menendez
Speed Read Tammy Murphy dropping out paves the way for Rep. Andy Kim to become the state's next senator
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia blames Ukraine for deadly ISIS Moscow attack
Speed Read Putin has ignored the Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the concert hall shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump-RNC pact puts Trump legal bills ahead of GOP
Speed Read The former president has struck a deal with the Republican National Committee to put donations toward his legal bills
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Vietnam president resigns amid scandal
Speed Read Vietnam loses its second president in two years as Vo Van Thuong steps down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas migrant law in limbo after Supreme Court OK
Speed Read The law has been blocked again, mere hours after the Supreme Court allowed the state to arrest migrants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Cubans rally for 'power and food' in rare protests
Speed Read The protests came after 18-hour rolling blackouts and food supply shortages
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published