Harris County halts targeted election ads after state lawsuit
An interim agreement with the Attorney General's Office resolves a dispute over racial targeting in social media campaigns ahead of the Nov. 3 vote.
By Alexei Brooks ·
Three specific interest tags formed the basis of a lawsuit filed Thursday against Harris County officials. The Texas Attorney General's Office alleged that the county's Elections Department used these tags to direct voter outreach advertisements toward African-American, Asian, and Latino residents.
The state claimed the ads encouraged viewers to 'Plan. Check. Vote!' by linking them to interests such as 'African-American history,' 'Hispanic kitchen,' and 'Latin dance.' The lawsuit argued this practice violated the Texas Constitution's equal rights protections by targeting specific racial and ethnic groups while excluding others.
Interim Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin announced an interim agreement with the state on Friday. The deal requires the Harris County Clerk's Office to remove the advertisements in question and prevent their reactivation during the applicable election period.
Kamin stated that the audience targeting had already been removed to keep attention on the upcoming election. Her office denied that the ads were partisan, describing them as nonpartisan information that formed part of a wider voter outreach effort using multiple channels.
The county expressed frustration that it learned of the lawsuit through a press release rather than direct communication. Kamin described the move by Attorney General Ken Paxton as a political stunt designed to manufacture distractions while he remains relevant as a candidate.
Paxton, who is running against Democrat James Talarico for the U.S. Senate, removed himself from the case due to his candidacy. The Attorney General's office characterized the outcome as a legal victory, noting that the county agreed to the requested temporary restraining order to deactivate the ads or remove the targeting criteria.
The state also sought temporary and permanent injunctions to stop similar advertising practices in the future. It remains unclear whether the lawsuit will proceed after the Nov. 3 election concludes.
