TEXAS, USA — A Texas-based nonprofit is suing state Attorney General Ken Paxton after they say he demanded private voter records in August.
Jolt Initiative, an organization that "trains community members to conduct nonpartisan voter registration" and encourages Texas Latinos to vote, filed the lawsuit against Paxton Sept. 13.
The nonprofit claims Paxton sent a letter stating it must share documents with the names of Volunteer Deputy Registrars (VDRs) and people it helped register to vote. Jolt Initiative believes the AG is responsible for "unlawful voter intimidation."
It also said Paxton's letter "threatened" the nonprofit with halting its efforts by Thursday unless they provide the information about volunteers.
"Jolt is the latest target of Attorney General Ken Paxton's campaign to undermine and silence Latino civil rights organizations in Texas," Georgetown University Law Center Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection executive director Mary McCord said.
The nonprofit said the letter violates the its First Amendment right to freedom of speech, as well as its Fourth Amendment right to protections from unfair government searches.
The lawsuit also claims Jolt received social media threats after conservative journalist Maria Bartiromo posted on X stating that people who are not permitted to vote, were doing so anyway near Fort Worth.
Some of these threats include a post on X, formerly Twitter, where someone wrote, "Marxist non profit organizations like @JoltAction [are] infiltrating Texas @TxDPS locations in San Antonio."
Last month, Paxton's office raided homes of people involved with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), according to the suit. The Attorney General also started to investigate the claim that Texas groups are "registering noncitizens to vote," the lawsuit stated.
Jolt said it received online threats following Paxton's claims. The nonprofit eventually emailed its supporters about the AG's alleged actions, and condemned him on social media.
Jolt Initiatives believes "the Attorney General promptly targeted" the group "Despite having no evidence" of registering illegal voters.