State of Texas

Texas Straight Ticket Voting

Texas Alliance for Retired Americans v. Hughs

Lawsuit filed on behalf of Sylvia Bruni, the Texas Democratic Party, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) challenging a Texas law that eliminates the use of straight ticket voting for the first time. The complaint alleges that the elimination of straight ticket voting — a method two-thirds of voters used to cast their ballot in the 2018 election — would lead to longer lines and wait times and likely deter voting, along with increasing voter confusion and difficulty in casting a ballot. The district court granted a preliminary injunction enjoining the state from enforcing the law during the 2020 election, which the Texas secretary of state appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 5th Circuit reversed the district court’s preliminary injunction, holding that, because the Texas secretary of state “does not enforce the law that ended straight-ticket voting, Plaintiffs’ constitutional claims are barred by sovereign immunity.” The case was remanded back to the district court for further proceedings, but the plaintiffs then voluntarily dismissed the case.

Case Documents

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