“We want to ensure that we uphold democracy, we also want to ensure that people are able to register to vote without fear or retaliation and intimidation.”
The last few weeks for Jackie Bastard have been eventful, to say the least.
As the Executive Director of one of the largest organizations devoted to increasing Latino civic engagement in Texas, Bastard is used to weathering legal storms. And now, Jolt Initiative –- the nonpartisan 501(c)(3) arm of the organization –- has found themselves once again in a legal battle with the state’s Attorney General.
Last month, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that he was filing a lawsuit against Jolt Initiative and seeking to revoke their nonprofit charter in the state. In his statement about the lawsuit, Paxton referred to the organization as a “radical, partisan operation that has, and continues to, knowingly attempt to corrupt our voter rolls and weaken the voice of lawful Texas voters.”
But, as Bastard pointed out in a conversation with Texas Signal, this isn’t their first interaction with Paxton. And this latest chapter in the legal saga is not going to deter Jolt Initiative from their work: which includes registering voters, providing leadership training to young Latinos, and organizing around issues and communities.
In August of 2024, Paxton’s office sought a request to examine documents from Jolt Initiative, including all the individuals they registered to vote, training materials, and other items placed during the registration process. The request came after Fox Business Host Maria Bartiromo posted on Twitter that a friend in Texas encountered immigrants getting driver’s licenses while a voter registration drive was stationed outside three separate DMV’s. The claims about immigrants registering to vote, which were refuted by election officials in Texas, still went viral and likely led to Paxton’s request.
Jolt Initiative sued Paxton over the request and the case went to a district court. Ultimately, Paxton agreed to suspend his investigation in September 2024. Flash forward nearly a year later to this latest lawsuit.
When it comes to this latest legal round with Paxton, Bastard is confident in the work Jolt Initiative has undertaken. She’s very proud of the fact that the organization has registered over 100,000 young Texans and that they have one of the highest match rates in the state. According to Bastard, less than .03 percent of voters they register will be rejected because of something wrong with their application.
Still, Bastard understands that this whole saga might leave potential donors or volunteers fearful. To that end, she wanted to emphasize that the work of Jolt Initiative is continuing. “It’s an unfortunate situation that organizations such as Jolt find themselves in, however this is a moment in history that is going to define what civic engagement, specifically for people of color, [looks] like moving forward.”
The attorney representing Jolt Initiative, Mimi Marziani, described this latest lawsuit from Paxton as being a part of an “unlawful campaign to undermine and silence civil rights groups in Texas.” She also noted that the underlying claims of deputy voter registrars registering immigrants is “based on allegations that have already been disproved by the plain language of election law and every ounce of available evidence.”
As the legal process plays out, Bastard stressed that the work of Jolt Initiative will remain unchanged. “We want to ensure that we uphold democracy, we also want to ensure that people in general are able to register to vote without fear or retaliation and intimidation.”
She also offered a suggestion for Paxton, if he’s truly serious about combating voter fraud, which is exceedingly rare. If Texas were to join the dozens of states that allow online voter registration, voter roll security would actually increase.
As the year winds down, Bastard and her organization are already looking ahead to next year’s midterm elections and planning their programming accordingly. “At the end of the day we understand who we are as an organization.”
Great Job Jessica Montoya Coggins & the Team @ The Texas Signal for sharing this story.
