Voter Registration Deadline Nears For November

Eligible Texans planning to vote in the November general election have until Oct. 7 to register, Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson reminds folks. The registration deadline applies to both early and election day voting.

“Texans have just a few short weeks left to register to vote, and I want to ensure all eligible Texans who want to make their voices heard are registered and prepared to do so,” Nelson said.

Instructions on how to register to vote and how to update existing voter registrations can be found at VoteTexas.org. To be eligible to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the county where you register and at least 18 years old on Election Day.

Texas officials say they have scrubbed voter rolls of more than 1 million voters deemed ineligible. The routine process culls people who have moved out of state or are dead. Voters can ensure they are registered by going to the My Voter Portal on the secretary of state’s website, https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do Early voting begins on Oct. 21 and ends Nov. 1. The last day to apply for a ballot by mail is Oct. 25. Election Day is Nov. 5.

Venezuelan Gang Designated Terrorist Organization 

Gov. Greg Abbott and state officials have labeled the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a “foreign terrorist organization,” the Austin American- Statesman reported.

The gang originated in Venezuela’s prison system a decade ago and first operated from the state of Aragua, from which it derives its name. Its criminal activities include drug trafficking, human smuggling, kidnapping, extortion and illegal mining, according to the report. State officials believe the gang is operating in Texas.

“Our goal is to defend Texas from the growing threat of the gang,” Abbott said. “We will not let them use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens.”

Abbott has said El Paso is a locus of illegal activity by members of Tren de Aragua. A law passed in 2023 to target smugglers of undocumented immigrants will be used against gang members, he said.

Judge Tosses Paxton Suit Against Bexar County 

A state district judge last week threw out a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against Bexar County’s plan to mail voter registration forms to country residents, The Texas Tribune reported. Since the forms have already been mailed, District Judge Antonia Arteaga ruled the case was moot.

Paxton sued the county to attempt to block the mailing of the forms. He asserted that the efforts in Bexar County, as well as in Harris and Travis counties, are a violation of state law and risk adding noncitizens to voter rolls. Bexar county commissioners called the claims misleading and unfounded.

A similar suit against Travis County has been moved to federal court, where county officials are also challenging Paxton’s efforts to stop voter registration efforts. In addition, Jolt, a nonprofit that is pushing for increased Latino participation in the electoral process, has sued Paxton after being targeted in a separate investigation into its registration efforts.