SAN ANTONIO - A federal court ruled Saturday against a key provision of Texas’ anti-voter law Senate Bill 1 in a victory for voting rights in the state.

The lawsuit challenged numerous provisions of the bill, including its restriction of compensated canvassers from engaging in voter advocacy near mail-in-ballots. That provision was found to violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments for being unconstitutionally vague, overly broad, and restricting free speech. Other parts of the case remain pending before the court...

“This ruling affirms what we have known all along: It is unconstitutional for state leaders to criminalize organizers in Texas for getting out the vote when a mail ballot may be present,” said Savannah Kumar (she/they), staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas...

“The court also explicitly chided Texas’ failure in basic common courtesy to voters, many of whom are elderly Asian Americans with limited English ability, who brought their mail-in ballots to our clients’ community meetings with questions about the voting process and seeking assistance.”... Susana Lorenzo-Giguere (she/her), associate director for democracy at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

The lawsuit was filed in 2021 on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Texas, Register, Educate, Vote, & Use your Power - Texas (REV UP Texas), and OCA Greater Houston. The plaintiffs are represented by the Texas Civil Rights Project, American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Disability Rights Texas, and the law firm Jenner & Block LLP.

Press Release / Last Updated: October 1, 2024