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State Called Out for Continuing to Violate the Federal Voter Law

Caitlyn Silhan Lawyer

Voters along with civil and voter rights advocates put state of Texas on notice of continued violation of the federal “motor voter” law.

AUSTIN, TX –Jarrod Stringer, Nayeli Gomez, John Harms, MOVE Texas Civic Fund, and the League of Women Voters of Texas, represented by the Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP) and Waters & Kraus, LLP, put the state of Texas on notice today of continuing violations of Section 5 of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), also known as the “motor voter law.” The NVRA requires that the state’s online driver license applications simultaneously register or update the voter registration for eligible users who wish to register.

In 2019, Stringer, Gomez, and Harms and hundreds of thousands of other Texas voters were denied their federal right to simultaneous voter registration with a driver’s license transaction because the state refuses to comply with the law.

Jarrod Stringer was also a plaintiff in a prior NVRA lawsuit filed by TCRP and Waters & Kraus in 2016. After updating his driver’s license online, he remains unregistered to vote in his current county.

“We notified the state that DPS’s online system violates the NVRA back in 2015,” said Caitlyn Silhan, an attorney at Waters & Kraus. “We then brought suit on behalf of Mr. Stringer and other Texans who were aggrieved by the violations, and after years of litigation, Chief Judge Orlando Garcia agreed with us, ordering the state to come into compliance. In November of this year, however, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed, determining that the plaintiffs had not shown that they were likely to be injured again. But as set out in today’s notice, Mr. Stringer was injured again when he changed his address on DPS’s online system this year. That’s why we’ve sent the state another notice letter, and why we will file suit once more if it fails to come into compliance with the NVRA.”

Waters & Kraus partners Peter Kraus and Charles Siegel are also working on the issue along with Caitlyn Silhan.

About Waters & Kraus, LLP
Waters & Kraus is a national plaintiffs’ law firm devoted to helping families in personal injury and wrongful death cases involving asbestos and mesothelioma, benzene exposure, dangerous pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and birth defects caused by pesticides, toxic chemicals, opioid use, and semiconductor chip manufacturing. The law firm also represents plaintiffs in qui tam whistleblower matters and cases that uncover false claims submitted to the government. Based in Dallas, Texas, with offices in Los Angeles, California, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and by appointment in Moline, Illinois, Waters & Kraus has represented families from all fifty states and many foreign countries, as well as foreign governments.

Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel is the West Coast practice of Waters & Kraus, LLP, a national plaintiffs’ law firm.

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