The Texas Attorney General's office filed a lawsuit against Harris County Clerk and the clerk's Director of Communications, alleging they ran a racially discriminatory voter advertising campaign on social media.
The county clerk's office used Meta's ad targeting tools to intentionally direct "Get Out the Vote" advertisements to certain racial and ethnic groups while excluding others, according to the suit.
By classifying voters based on race when advertising election information, the county clerk exceeded its authority, the Attorney General's office said. The suit alleges the office engaged in racial discrimination in an effort to increase voter turnout among particular races and ethnicities while not targeting others.
According to the Attorney General, Meta's Ad Library showed the Harris County Clerk's office spent an estimated $43,429 over a 30-day period on advertisements that were set to be shown preferentially to certain populations.
Attorney General Ken Paxton recused himself from the case because he is a candidate on the November ballot.
The state said it brought the suit to ensure all Texans have an equal opportunity to be informed of and participate in the electoral process regardless of race or demographics.