AUSTIN – In a letter to congressional leaders, Attorney General Ken Paxton and 22 other attorneys general warn that a reckless piece of legislation under consideration on Capitol Hill would essentially establish the U.S. Department of Justice as a national election czar dictating to states exactly how they must administer their elections.
The letter opposing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — or HR 4 — is led by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita. Already passed in the House, the legislation would require states to first obtain “preclearance” from the federal government before enacting election reforms such as voter identification requirements and voter list maintenance laws.
“After fighting long and hard to pass Texas’s SB 1, which helps stop voter fraud and increase public trust in our elections, I refuse to sit back and allow voters in the great state of Texas to be silenced,” said Attorney General Paxton. “HR 4 undermines the integrity of our elections, ignores the countless issues with voter fraud, and I am committed to stopping this misguided proposal.”
SB 1 was passed during the last special legislative session and will be in effect for the 2022 primary elections.