A federal judge ruled the Texas Department of Public Safety needs to do more to comply with the National Voter Registration Act.
The case argues that Texas breaches the National Voter Registration Act and the U.S. cConstitution's eEqual pProtection cClause "by failing to register eligible Texans to vote when they updated their drivers’ license information online," according to a Friday news release from the Texas Civil Rights Project.
The judge ruled in late March that Texas had violated the act, but in a more detailed order this week set the deadline for changes.
The group and co-counsel Walter Kraus, LLP filed the lawsuit against the department's head Steven C. McCraw in his capacity as DPS director and Carlos H. Cascos, in his capacity as the Texas Secretary of State in 2016.
Judge Orlando Garcia, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, gave parties until Thursday to outline a plan that makes the state compliant.
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“Asking motor voters whether they are interested in voter registration and sending them to SOS for an entirely separate application process is not enough," Garcia wrote Thursday in his 61-page opinion. "The NVRA demands much more from voter registration agencies.”
He continued that the defendants' noncompliance is "not supported by the facts or the law."
The state has previously requested the case be dismissed for "lack of jurisdiction, and failure to state a claim on which relief may be granted," according to a May 2016 motion.
Mimi Marziani, Ppresident of the Texas Civil Rights Project, touted the ruling as "a victory for voting rights and democracy in Texas."
"We call on state leaders to stop wasting time and taxpayers’ resources fighting this case and instead work with us to ensure that every single eligible Texan can be a part of our democracy," she said in a written statement.
A spokeswoman for the Texas Attorney General's Office said the office is "currently reviewing the order and weighing our options."
The ruling comes just days before the start of the May 22 primary runoff election. Early voting starts Monday.