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Before the 2024 election, two Texas counties mailed voter registration forms to hundreds of thousands of residents. Although only a small share was returned, the move sparked backlash from Republican lawmakers.
Now, the bill moving through the Texas Legislature would prohibit counties from sending voter registration forms to those who did not request. It also prohibits the state from using public funds to support such mailing by other groups.
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who sponsored Senate Bill 511, said he would place his voter registration application under the same restrictions that are already in place for postal applications. Faced with federal court challenges, a 2021 Texas law prohibits election officials from sending unsolicited postal code applications. The state legislator, a Houston-area Republican, introduced the same bill in the House as SB 511. Both bills are underway and could soon reach the floor of each room.
“The government should not reduce its thumb by doing this without solicitation from voters,” Bettencourt said, adding that the effort is a “terrifying waste of taxpayer money.”
The Voting Rights Group said the bill could make it difficult for them to obtain the registration form in other ways.
Overall, three large Texas counties, which are all Democrats’ homes, moved last year to mail voter registration applications to residents who are eligible but not yet registered prior to the presidential election. In Harris County, efforts quickly stagnated after criticism from Bettencourt. Travis and Bexar moved forward and encountered a challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who sought to stop the effort. In Bexar County, Paxton’s lawsuit was dismissed. In Travis County, Democratic officials sued Paxton and the state over the attempt, and the case is still moving through court.
Bexar County spent $261,000 in mail and regained 11% of the 136,349 voter registration forms that were mailed, according to county officials.
That’s quite lacking for the 75,000 initial targets discussed by county officials. But Bexar County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez, who defended the program, said he once again supported such efforts. He said the cost is not a waste of taxpayer dollars, but rather an “investment in democracy and community outreach.”
“I think almost 85% of the people who actually participated out of the 15,000 newly registered people, and for me, it was a success in that respect,” Rodriguez told Vote Beat. “You’ve got more people involved in the process, and that’s what your goal was from the start.”
Travis County officials declined to comment on citing the pending lawsuit.
Bettencourt said the bill would not prevent the Deputy Volunteer Voter Registrar and candidates from distributing voter registration applications. However, some voting rights advocates say the language of the bill, which state officials “may not distribute forms that allow people who did not request it to apply for registration,” is far too broad. They say it could affect election officials who choose to display their voter registration applications at the counter at election offices, for example.
“If you’re at a voter registration office, you have to say a set of magic words to get your voter registration application, and you need to request it in particular.”
If any building clears both the House and Senate, the proposal goes to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
Natalia Contreras works with the Texas Tribune to cover election management and voting access to votes. She is based in Corpus Christi. Please contact Natalia at ncontrolras@votebeat.org
