(The Center Square) – The Texas Attorney General's office has sued Harris County officials alleging they are using taxpayer money to run racially discriminatory “get out the vote” ads.
The lawsuit was filed in district court in Harris County. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth and her director of communications, Irene Nunez, are named as plaintiffs.
The clerk’s office is using Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram, as well as X, to encourage county residents to vote. Multiple posts online have information about voting and polling locations. Most of the posts appear to only include images of Black, Hispanic and Asian individuals voting or attending community outreach meetings, according to posts reviewed by The Center Square.
The lawsuit alleges that the voter awareness advertisements the county purchased that are running on Meta platforms “intentionally target certain racial and ethnic groups (African American, Asian, and South American or Latino groups), but do not target other demographics.”
According to U.S. Census data, 20.5% of county residents are Black; 46% are Hispanic; nearly 25% are white; 8% are Asian.
According to Meta’s Ad Center, the ads were tailored to target racial and ethnic demographics with tags including, “African American history,” “Hispanic kitchen,” “African American literature,” and “Latin dance.” Meta’s platforms allow advertisers to “select the demographics, interests and behaviors of people they want to see their ads.”
The OAG identified examples of what it says are racially discriminating “Get Out the Vote” advertisements on Instagram and Facebook and included screenshots of them in its court filing.
The ads and “detailed targeting” terms indicate that “Harris County is attempting to increase the likelihood that only certain racial and ethnic groups – but not all – will vote,” the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit alleges the ads violate the Texas Constitution’s Equal Rights Amendment and state law. Using taxpayer money to fund these ads also violates the state constitution, the lawsuit alleges.
According to Meta’s Ad Library data, the Harris County Clerk’s office spent an estimated $43,429 in the past 30 days on one set of advertisements targeting specific racial demographics.
Because Attorney General Ken Paxton is a candidate for U.S. Senate on the Nov. 3 ballot, he has recused himself from the lawsuit. The state is suing the county through the OAG “to ensure that all Texans have an equal opportunity to be informed of and participate in the electoral process, regardless of race or demographic,” the OAG said in a news release.
The lawsuit asks the court to block the county from purchasing and distributing racially targeted advertisements and rule that the practice is unconstitutional. The county clerk's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to the county, a record number of people voted in the first five days of early voting, with roughly 100,000 voting per day.
Harris County is the largest county in Texas and the third most populous county in the country. Its population surpassed five million in 2025 and is greater than the populations of 26 states. Its population increased by nearly 25% since 2010 with most new residents moving to Houston, the county seat.
Houston is the largest city in Texas with a population of nearly 2.5 million. Houston is the fourth largest city in the U.S. and is projected to become the third largest city in less than a decade.
The county was historically Republican, shifting left in the last few years. Both the county and Houston are run by Democrats.
Earlier this year, Gov. Greg Abbott vowed to flip the county “dark red.” Abbott lived in the county when he was in private law practice and served as a trial judge in the early 1990s prior to being appointed to the Texas Supreme Court.
According to the most recent polls, the majority of registered voters in Harris County say the U.S. and Texas are heading in the wrong direction, The Center Square reported.
In nearly all statewide races, Democrats are leading Republicans in the polls in the county.
Democrat state Rep. Gina Hinojosa holds a 16-point lead over Abbott in the county. Abbott is running for his fourth term. In 2022, Abbott lost Harris County by 9.6 points but won reelection statewide by nearly 11 points.
In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat state Rep. James Talarico holds a 22-point lead over Paxton. In 2024, U.S. Sen. Ted Cuz lost Harris County by 11 points but won reelection.
Crime consistently ranks as the top issue for county voters, followed by economic issues, according to polls.