9-18-2024 12:18pm

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez Joins Coalition of Attorneys General Concerning Texas Voter Intimidation Raids

Chris Edwards Editor

On September 12th, 2024, New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez signed a letter along with US Attorney Generals from several states, led by New York Attorney General Letticia James and submitted it to US Attorney General Merrick Garland condemning the actions by the Texas Attorney General and calling for an investigation into raids recently conducted by the Texas Attorney General’s Office targeting Latino voting rights organizers, candidates for office, and volunteers to determine whether these raids constitute violations of civil rights, including the right to vote.

Per the letter sent to the US Attorney General's Civil Rights Division ...

"Despite the fact that there has never been evidence of widespread voter fraud anywhere in the United States, the Texas Attorney General’s office’s conduct appears to have been premised upon the falsehood that there is widespread illegal voting among Latino communities in Texas. These actions perpetuate racist conspiracy theories in order to justify targeting voters of color.

Under the guise of policing this nonexistent widespread fraud, the Texas Attorney General’s Office invaded the homes of Latino candidates and voting rights organizers. State officers even searched the homes of elderly volunteers, terrifying them and seizing their property."

Per a release from the DOJ, the raids, conducted on August 20, 2024, were ordered by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and seized the personal property of local organizers and candidates for office. In a letter sent today, Attorney General James and the coalition urge DOJ to open an investigation into these raids, specifically into whether they constitute violations of civil rights, including the right to vote.

"The raids by the Texas attorney general against Latino organizers and candidates for office are disturbing, unwarranted, and un-American,” said Attorney General James. “The victims were targeted simply because of their work to increase political participation in the Latino community. Trying to intimidate volunteers and candidates from participating in the electoral process is unacceptable. I am proud to lead my fellow attorneys general in urging the DOJ to investigate this incident, because we all stand for the rule of law in our states and throughout the nation. We cannot normalize voter intimidation or abusive government interference in our free and fair elections.”

In the letter, Attorney General James and the coalition argue the Texas attorney general’s office sought to intimidate voters of color by conducting raids and seizing the property of organizers and Latino candidates. The coalition requests DOJ investigate the Texas raids to determine whether these raids constitute violations of civil rights, including the right to vote. There has never been evidence of widespread voter fraud anywhere in the United States, and by conducting these raids to search the homes of Latino candidates and voting rights activists, the coalition argues the Texas attorney general’s office is perpetuating a racist, baseless claim in order to intimidate voters of color.

“Hispanic Federation commends Attorney General James for her leadership in calling for action regarding the Texas Attorney General’s office’s egregious and unprecedented raids targeting Latine activists and election volunteers,” said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO, Hispanic Federation. “This recent, heinous violation of civil and constitutional rights is only the latest in a string of preposterous attacks on Latines who simply want to participate in the democratic process like any other American. The DOJ must honor this call to safeguard America’s democratic freedoms.”

Joining Attorney General James in sending this letter to DOJ are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.

Attorney General James has been a national leader in the fight to protect voting rights and safe access to the polls. In September 2024, Attorney General James issued a guide titled “Protecting New Yorkers from AI-Generated Election Misinformation,” to help identify and report misinformation generated by artificial intelligence (AI) about the upcoming November general election. In August 2024, Attorney General James successfully defended the New York Early Mail Voter Act. In April 2024,

In August 2021, Attorney General James co-led a coalition of 22 attorneys general in opposing Georgia’s discriminatory law that would make it more difficult for millions of Georgians—especially Black Georgians—to vote.