LWV Texas Joins Lawsuit to Combat Voter Suppression

AUSTIN & WASHINGTON – Monday the League of Women Voters of Texas joined a lawsuit against the Texas Secretary of State’s office after false claims of widespread voter fraud were reported last month. Texas Secretary of State David Whitley made unfounded accusations that tens of thousands of noncitizens were voting in recent Texas elections. But the data Whitley referenced was flawed and went back as far as two decades. 

“The Secretary used these claims in an attempt to widely purge naturalized citizens from the voter rolls,” said Grace Chimene, president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. “His action is discriminatory and unjustly targets people of color. Moves like this only serve to depress voter turnout and participation unnecessarily.” 

The League of Women Voters joins Move Texas Civic Fund, Jolt Initiative, and NAACP as plaintiffs in this lawsuit asking the federal court to declare these actions unconstitutional and a violation of the Voting Rights Act.  

“We have seen this move before. Other states have used similar claims as a voter suppression tactic that turned out to be false once data is evaluated in greater detail,” said Chris Carson, national president of the League of Women Voters. “Once the claims have been made publicly, the damage is done. Voters start to lose trust in the election process when our own government officials seek to limit participation.”  

The League is represented by Demos, ACLU, and Lawyers Committee. We look forward to quashing these false claims, restoring Texans faith in the election system, and fighting this injustice on behalf of all Texas voters.

Contact: Sarah Courtney | 202-263-1332 | [email protected]