Texas county ends ads encouraging minority voters, settling lawsuit

The Texas Attorney General’s Office forced an early end to outreach ads encouraging minority voters to cast ballots in the state’s most populous county. 

The state accused Harris County of running a racially discriminatory “Get out the Vote” advertising campaign on social media targeted solely at minority voters. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who is currently on the ballot in a highly competitive U.S. Senate race, recused himself from the lawsuit, according to his office. 

“To keep the focus on the important election at hand, the audience targeting on the ads in question had already been removed,” Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin (D) said in a statement. “Harris County remains confident that its outreach efforts to our diverse communities is lawful.”

Kamin blasted the state for filing a “baseless lawsuit” while local election officials are conducting an active election. A hearing in state district court was held in Houston on Friday, the final day of early voting in Texas. 

She criticized the timing of the lawsuit, calling it a distraction.

“The Agreement is a win for Harris County, ensuring the Attorney General’s preposterous and baseless claims do not take away time and resources from critical county operations—Paxton’s thinly veiled political stunt has taken enough of our time,” Kamin said.

Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia (D) accused Paxton of using his office for his own gain, adding that the county has used this voter outreach approach for years, only for it to become an issue now that Paxton is in a close race himself. 

“Ken Paxton is at the tip of the spear, trying to steal an election,” Garcia said in a statement. “Harris County stands ready to defend against any and all election interference from Donald Trump, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, or others. Our voters deserve free and fair elections, period.”