Harris County, TX Sued to Prevent Noncitizen Voter Registration

Published On: September 28th, 2020

Records Apparently Show Admitted Foreign Nationals Successfully Registering

(HOUSTON, TX.) – September 28, 2020: The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) filed a petition for writ of mandamus against the Harris County Voter Registrar, seeking to prevent future occurrences of apparently self-identified foreign nationals being accepted into the local voter roll (In re Public Interest Legal Foundation).

Voter registration applications printed by both the U.S. Government and Texas pose a direct question: “Are you a citizen of the United States?” PILF research into Harris County records revealed a repeating problem of individuals answering “NO,” yet were registered anyway.

The Foundation present detailed examples of similar files and seeks a court order that Harris County uniformly challenge or reject all future voter registration applications that do not contain the answer “YES” to the citizenship eligibility question.

“The Foundation made a federal case to access to these records—now we see what the fight was all for,” PILF President and General Counsel J. Christian Adams said. “Individuals claiming to be foreign nationals should not be registered in Harris County. These failures harm citizens, but they also put those immigrants into serious jeopardy with federal officials. We hope to see swift action prior to the voting this fall.

Read the court filing and exhibits here.

The Foundation previously settled a federal lawsuit to review noncitizen voter registration cancellation records held in Harris County after it defeated a motion to dismiss the case in March 2019.

The Foundation originally selected Harris County for study after local officials described the underlying problems spanning nearly two decades—most often in the context of lobbying for or against election reform bills in Austin or Washington.

The case was filed in the in the Court of Appeals for the Fourteenth District of Texas in Houston, number 14-20-00665-cv.

Attorneys for the Public Interest Legal Foundation are J. Christian Adams and Noel H. Johnson. Brenham-based Andy Taylor of Andy Taylor & Associates, P.C. serves as local counsel.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation is leading the nation in enforcing election integrity laws and the National Voter Registration Act, having brought cases in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, and Maine and filed amicus briefs in litigation across the nation.

Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is a 501(c)(3) public interest law firm dedicated to election integrity. The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF seeks to protect the right to vote and preserve the Constitutional framework of American elections.

###

Public Interest Legal Foundation