The Texas attorney general's office filed suit Thursday against the Harris County clerk, claiming the county's voter-information ads on Facebook and Instagram were steered toward some racial and ethnic groups and not others. The filing came a day before early voting ends statewide.
The lawsuit names County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth and her office's communications director, Houston Public Media reported. It centers on "Plan. Check. Vote!" ads the county election office has run ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
What the state alleges
According to the lawsuit, as described by FOX 26 Houston, the ads were set up to reach African American, Asian and Latino audiences through Meta interest categories such as "African-American history," "Hispanic kitchen" and "Latin dance." The attorney general's office says Meta's public ad library shows the clerk's office spent an estimated $43,429 over the past 30 days on one set of those ads.
The state argues that sorting voters by race to deliver election information exceeds the clerk's authority, and FOX 26 reported that the suit claims a violation of the equal rights protections in the Texas Constitution.
The state is asking for a temporary restraining order requiring the county to turn the ads off or strip out the racial and ethnic targeting, plus temporary and permanent injunctions against similar advertising.
In its announcement, the attorney general's office said the case is meant to make sure all Texans have an equal opportunity to learn about and take part in elections, "regardless of race or demographic."
