Fifth Circuit Allows Texas Vote Harvesting Investigation

A federal appeals court has allowed Texas to continue its investigations into alleged vote harvesting as the legal dispute over Senate Bill 1 (S.B. 1) unfolds. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an indefinite stay on a lower court's ruling that deemed parts of the law unconstitutional, asserting that the plaintiffs did not meet the necessary legal standard to halt the law just weeks before the election. Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that the lower court's decision undermined public trust in the electoral process. Under S.B. 1, paid ballot harvesting is classified as a third-degree felony, which can lead to severe penalties for those involved in voter outreach. Meanwhile, internal GOP polling indicates that Republicans are focusing on the Rust Belt states as critical to securing a Senate majority, with competitive races in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.