Texas Nonprofit to Continue Registering Voters After Pause on AG Paxton's 'Noncitizen' Investigation

Jolt, A Texas nonprofit previously under investigation by state Attorney General Ken Paxton on unsupported claims of illegally registering noncitizen voters, is now free to continue its work without immediate threat of shutdown, after a federal judge granted a stay in a lawsuit the organization filed against the official.

The development takes place one month after a federal judge in Texas ruled that a statute known as "request to examine" is unconstitutional. The ruling came in response to a separate lawsuit filed by Spirit AeroSystems against Paxton.

The "request to examine" statute allowed Paxton to demand immediate access to an organization's records without judicial review.

Jolt focuses on increasing Latino civic participation. The organization had been registering people to vote when it received Paxton's "request to examine" on Aug. 31, asking the organization to release documents including all the voter registration receipts it had completed.

In its lawsuit, obtained by the Texas Tribune, the organization argues that compliance with Paxton's "request to examine" would endanger its members and harm its mission. The organization's lawyer, Mimi Marziani, suggested that disclosing the confidential information requested by the Attorney General would " be a betrayal of the trust Jolt has earned from the Texas Latino community."

The Attorney General's investigation has resulted in increased hostility towards Jolt staff members as they have reported receiving threats via social media.

Critics argue that Paxton has targeted Jolt and other organizations that advocate for missions that conflict with his political agenda. Per political reporter James Barragan, Paxton has led unprecedented attempts to investigate or shut down nonprofits that assist migrants and Latinos, accusing some of them of "unlawfully registering noncitizens to vote."

The Attorney General, along with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, recently announced that the state had removed over 6,500 potential noncitizens from voter rolls. But investigative reports by The Texas Tribune, ProPublica, and Votebeat suggest that number might be "likely inflated."

A report from the Secretary of State that came to light through those investigations shows that only 581 noncitizens were confirmed between September 2021 and August 2024.

Still, concerns about noncitizen voting continue to swirl among Paxton and other Republicans, even though there's no solid evidence it's swaying election results. Per the Texas Tribune, Paxton has falsely accused the Biden Administration of allowing undocumented immigrants into the country so that they can vote for Democrats.

In his latest legal move, the Attorney General filed a lawsuit Tuesday, accusing the Biden administration of failing to help Texas verify the citizenship status of its voters after federal officials declined to turn over requested voter data to the state.

The Texas Senate is also considering a new law that would require voters to present proof of citizenship, such as a Texas ID or passport, in order to register to vote.