Secret Ballot
The ruling said activist Laura Pressley’s case was moot, because the state has already banned the practice she challenged.
The Department of State and two counties are fighting a decision that they say threatens to expose the private choices voters make.
One bill emerges ahead of the new legislative session, while a pair of lawsuits focus attention on the issue.
Laura Pressley claims to have found a way to link voters to their ballots. But she won’t make it public, and experts says her proposed solution could make things worse.
The burden will fall on local election officials to determine which records they’re obligated to release or redact.
The request to the U.S. Department of Justice comes after Texas undermined ballot secrecy in the name of election transparency.
The action comes after Votebeat and The Texas Tribune confirmed that some voters’ choices can later be identified through legally available records.
The public has wide access to a trove of records that, in some cases, can be used to figure out exactly how someone voted. Election administrators want that fixed.