A ban on paid vote harvesting is back in effect in Texas after Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a temporary stay of a court order that had blocked enforcement of the election integrity law.
Late last month, a federal judge “immediately and permanently enjoined” state and county officials from implementing or enforcing the ban.
The order also barred the Office of the Attorney General from investigating paid ballot harvesting schemes.
Paxton appealed the decision.
On Friday, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted Paxton a temporary administrative stay pending appeal until October 10.
In a statement Friday, Paxton said he will “continue to use every tool available to secure our elections.”
“Blocking our ability to investigate certain election crimes would have been a serious disruption to the electoral landscape with only a month left before Election Day,” said Paxton. “Texas must be allowed to protect its elections from ballot harvesting schemes.”
Texas enacted the ballot harvesting ban in 2021 as part of a comprehensive election integrity measure known as Senate Bill 1. The law criminalizes paid vote harvesting, a business that often crosses into illegal influence and fraud.
