Texas AG sues group over claims of illegally registering voters

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing a nonprofit organization over allegations it illegally registered people to vote.

Jolt Initiative is a grassroots organization aiming to increase civic participation among younger Latinos in Texas. In a statement released today, Paxton said his office was suing the group over its role in “orchestrating a systematic, unlawful voter registration scheme that is designed to sabotage Texas election integrity and allow illegals to vote.”

The AG’s lawsuit asks a court to dissolve Jolt’s charter and revoke its ability to do business in Texas.

Leaders at Jolt call the lawsuit “unconstitutional” and vow to fight it.

“The Attorney General is abusing his authority by using the state’s legal tool of dissolution, an extreme measure, against Jolt simply because we are effective at registering Latino voters,” said Executive Director ⁨Jackie Bastard, in the release⁩. “This is a systematic effort to dismantle the infrastructure of Latino civic engagement in Texas.”

In response, Jolt Initiative has filed a motion asking the Court to dismiss the lawsuit or transfer it to Houston, where Jolt has offices.

This isn’t the first time this group and Paxton have gone head-to-head. According to reporting from The Texas Tribune, Paxton’s office launched an investigation into Jolt and other groups last year, after similar claims circulated. The AG demanded documents and information from Jolt – which refused to comply and even sued the state over concerns about placing its workers and volunteers in harms way.

Last fall, the Tribune reported both sides agreed to put the case on pause while the courts resolved a separate lawsuit over the tool Paxton’s office had used during the investigation.