Texas Senate Democratic Caucus calls for DOJ probe into GOP-led voter roll purge, raids [View all]

The Texas Senate Democratic Caucus has formally asked the federal government to investigate possible violations of Texan's voting rights after law enforcement officials raided the homes of numerous Latino voter-registration advocates and Gov. Greg Abbott announced the state had purged more than 1.1 million voters from its rolls since 2021.

In a letter sent to the U.S. Justice Department on Friday and announced by Democratic Caucus Chair Sen. Carol Alvarado of Houston, the upper chamber's Democratic lawmakers wrote that recent efforts by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and other state leaders "have a disproportionate impact on Latinos and other communities of color, which is sowing fear and will suppress voting."

"Based on media reports and complaints by fellow Texans, we have serious concerns that some recent actions taken by Texas Attorney General (AG) Ken Paxton and other state leaders may violate federal civil rights and voting laws," reads the letter signed by all 12 Democrats in the state Senate.

The lawmakers are also asking the Justice Department to look into law enforcement raids conducted as part of Paxton's investigation into alleged illegal voter registration efforts. Paxton launched the inquiry after a Fox Business host baselessly claimed that undocumented migrants were seen registering to vote outside of a state driver's license facility.

Read more: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/08/31/texas-senate-democrats-request-doj-probe-voter-purge-raids-paxton/75019319007/