Harris County Clerk Hudspeth Answers the Voter-Ads Lawsuit: Outreach Is Lawful, and the Meta Audience Subsets Are Deactivated
The clerk sued Thursday over her get-out-the-vote ads answered Thursday night - defending the outreach as nonpartisan and lawful, and switching off the audience subsets at the center of the state's case with one day of early voting left.
HOUSTON - Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth answered the Attorney General's voter-ads lawsuit in her own name on Thursday night, hours after the state sued her office over get-out-the-vote advertising it calls racially discriminatory. In a statement issued at 9:42 p.m., Hudspeth said her office 'is committed to ensuring that all qualified voters have access to accurate, timely, and nonpartisan election information' and added: 'We are confident that our voter outreach efforts are lawful.'
The statement carried a practical concession alongside the defense. 'With that responsibility at the forefront, the Meta audience subsets have been deactivated to avoid unnecessary distractions,' Hudspeth said - switching off the audience targeting at the center of the state's 16-page complaint, which challenged $43,429 of Facebook and Instagram ads in the clerk's 'Plan, Check, Vote!' campaign. She said her office's highest priority 'remains conducting a successful, transparent, and secure election.'
Hudspeth also drew the line the lawsuit accuses her office of crossing. 'The Harris County Clerk's Office does not engage in political rhetoric, nor do we seek to influence how any individual votes for a candidate or a ballot measure,' she said. 'Our responsibility is to administer fair, transparent, and accessible elections in accordance with federal and Texas election laws, and to ensure that every qualified voter has the information needed to exercise their right to vote. That commitment is unwavering and will continue to guide our work.'
The timing is the story's hard edge. The suit landed Thursday, with early voting ending Friday; the Houston Press reported Harris County's early turnout at 862,659 ballots cast as of Thursday afternoon. Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office brought the case, has recused himself because he is on the November 3 ballot as the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. The ads are off their subsets; the case is in court; and the election the ads were about closes its early period at 7 p.m. Friday.
