Long story short
The contract with CGS includes the ability to print and mail state voter registration forms, with postage paid return envelopes, to unregistered voters and to collate data generated by these methods. The agreed upon contract totals $392,700.
Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacquelyn Callanen expressed concern with the contract, claiming it could further complicate voting registration.
Callanen said there are already around 900 volunteer deputy registrars in operation in the county, and adding another one is not guaranteed to smooth over the process.
The sheer number of volunteer deputy registrars has caused a major concern for residents, Callanen said. The elections department has received reports of duplicated registration forms, people being told they are unregistered when they are already registered and an attempt to register a deceased relative, Callanen said.
Callanen also requested additional workforce in preparation for the 2024 general election.
Currently, the elections department has four full-time workers and 10 temporary workers, but it can accommodate an additional five temporary employees, Callanen said.
CGS CEO Jeremy Smith said the goal of the contract with Bexar County is to make it easier for all valid citizens to be able to register and vote in elections.
The benefit of using CGS is that the company uses multiple methods—including the U.S. Postal Service change of address database and public licensing records for professions like cosmetology, teaching and law—to find and cross-check voter registration, Smith said.
Smith said CGS works with other organizations to ensure that there is no overlap and that residents will not receive multiple registration forms.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody expressed reservations over approving the contract and made a motion to table the discussion.
Moody said mailing voter registration to residents is not the county’s role. He also noted the elections administrator's concerns over how this decision could damage the process and cause delays on election day.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert also voted to table the motion for further discussion, citing concerns over perceived partisanship.
Bexar County’s registration process needs to be as nonpartisan and secure as voting machines are, Calvert said.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores was in favor of the contract and voted against tabling the motion.
The motion to table the item for further discussion failed in a 3-2 vote.
This contract is about encouraging and making sure Americans can exercise their right to vote, Clay-Flores said. This registration program will get more people involved in politics on a national and local level.
The motion to approve the contract passed in a 3-1 vote with Calvert abstaining due to concerns over partisanship.
Meeting highlights
Another concern for the Commissioners Court over approving the contract was the potential lawsuit by Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
County officials said the case Paxton cites in his letter to Bexar County relates to mail-in ballots, which is very different from registering to vote.
According to the law, a mail-in ballot can only be requested by an applicant, but voter registration is available in multiple places, including post offices, county officials said.
County officials also said that the costs associated with a lawsuit from the state attorney general are unpredictable and cannot be assessed at this time.
Quote of note
“I have heard throughout this past year, we have heard constant complaints from the community in regards to voter registration. ... It makes common sense to me that voter registration and voter turnout go hand in hand, and I want to put on record and let the public know that this is a [nonpartisan] effort to increase voter turnout in the 2024 election,” Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said.
Stay tuned
According to independent reporting from the Texas Tribune, Paxton filed a lawsuit in a state district court in Bexar County on Sept. 4 and is seeking an emergency order to block the program.
Upon learning of the lawsuit, Sakai issued a news release Sept. 4 in support of the court’s decision.
“The right to vote is a foundation of democracy, and voter registration is a gateway to civic participation. Bexar County’s nonpartisan effort to provide voter registration applications to targeted eligible citizens is within the authority of the county and consistent with state law,” Sakai said.
Sakai also noted the distinction between mail-in ballots and voter registration forms.
“Prior to the vote, [Bexar County] Commissioners Court was told by attorney Larry Roberson, chief of the Civil Division of the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, that the analysis reflected in the letter sent by the attorney general was distinguishable from the actions proposed by the court. ... We are confident we can defend that position, if needed, in a court of law,” Sakai said.
