In a decisive legal ruling, Judge Antonia (Toni) Arteaga of the 57th Civil District Court sided with the approval of a targeted voter registration mailout to unregistered voters in Bexar County.
Today marked the opening exchange in a broader legal battle concerning voter participation rights in the county. Bexar County District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales emphasized his commitment to safeguarding the right to vote and ensuring full participation in local elections. His office, along with the Civil Division legal team, stood firm against attempts by the Texas Attorney General’s Office to challenge the mailouts.
The Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office successfully argued that the Texas Attorney General’s concerns over the legality of the mailouts were moot, as the registration forms had already been sent. The mailout, they noted, adhered to both federal and state laws, including the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which encourages outreach efforts for voter registration. Additionally, the District Attorney's Office stressed that all applications would undergo rigorous verification by the Texas Secretary of State to ensure only eligible voters were added to the rolls.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office had attempted to halt the mailouts, citing concerns that the contract with third-party vendor Civic Government Solutions (CGS) for sending unsolicited voter registration forms violated the Texas Election Code. They argued that such mailouts might cause confusion and increase the risk of election fraud. However, Judge Arteaga ruled that the Attorney General’s claims were moot since the mailouts had already occurred and denied the requested relief.
The District Attorney’s legal team was led by Joe D. Gonzales, along with Chief of the Civil Division Larry Roberson, and Assistant District Attorneys Robert “Bob” Piatt and Lisa Cubriel. Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai was also present, representing the defendants named in the case.
