San Antonio judge takes Texas to task over voter purge effort, calling it a ‘solution looking for a problem’
Finding no evidence of widespread voter fraud, a judge in San Antonio halted Texas’ program to purge voters it claimed were noncitizens, saying Wednesday that state officials created a “mess” that intimidated naturalized citizens. The order by U.S District Judge Fred Biery denied a motion from the state to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Campaign Legal Center, which alleged the voter purge program is unconstitutional and suppresses the minority vote.
“This is a major victory for Texas voters,” said Danielle Lang, co-director of voting rights and redistricting at the Campaign Legal Center. “The court rightly agreed with our argument that Texas’ threatened voter purge struck fear and anxiety into the hearts of voters. Texas unnecessarily targeted tens of thousands of people who were properly registered citizens, intimidating naturalized citizens from exercising their rights.”