Texas AG sues Harris County over get-out-the-vote ad targeting

Who's involved

• Teneshia Hudspeth · Harris County Clerk^[1]
• Ken Paxton · Texas Attorney General^[1]
• Christian Menefee · U.S. Representative, Democrat representing part of Houston^[1]

The facts

1. The lawsuit alleged that ads on Meta platforms included tags directing them toward users with African, Asian and Latino-related interests and backgrounds, including African-American literature, Latin music, Hispanic kitchen, East Asia, 27 different countries and several foreign cities such as Madrid and Bangkok. [1]^[1]
2. The get-out-the-vote ads, which encouraged voters to make a plan to vote, began running in late September and early October 2026. [1]^[1]
3. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth stated that the audience tags on the ads had been removed "to avoid unnecessary distractions" from the election on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. [1]^[1]
4. The Attorney General's Office sued for targeting Black, Latino and Asian voters while excluding "European ethnicities" and asked a Harris County district judge to order the ads to be pulled or reconfigured to remove all identifiers targeting voters along racial and ethnic lines. [1]^[1]
5. Paxton's office stated that Paxton was not participating in the lawsuit because he is on the ballot as the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. [1]^[1]

Who said what

• Texas Attorney General's Office There can be no legitimate reason for Harris County to intentionally target voter ethnicities, cultural interests, and countries, but not toward any European ethnicities, cultural interests, or countries, arguing the clerk's office acted unconstitutionally by using ad targeting that prioritizes people of certain ethnicities but not others.^[1]
• Texas Attorney General's Office Harris County ran the ads "in an effort to increase voter turnout among particular races and ethnicities."^[1]
• Harris County Attorney's Office The lawsuit is a "pathetic political distraction" and "Harris County remains hyper-focused on ensuring every eligible voter's voice is heard and their votes protected, not sideshows that appease grandstanding."^[1]
• U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee Paxton wants "to stop Houstonians from going to the polls" and is "upset that diverse voters across Harris County are making their voices heard." The ads "do nothing more than tell neighbors when to vote and where to get information about voting."^[1]