Texas attorney general says it's illegal for schools to bus kids to polling places

[TexasTowelie]

by Aliyya Swaby, Texas Tribune


Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an official, nonbinding opinion Wednesday saying school districts cannot drive students to polling places unless the trip serves an educational purpose.

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, asked Paxton to weigh in on the issue last month, arguing that a civic engagement group called Texas Educators Vote was violating state law by encouraging school administrators to incentivize voting. The group's leaders have said they are doing their civic duty and have not run afoul of the law; they said Bettencourt's question is part of a backlash against public education.

After the opinion was issued Wednesday, both Bettencourt and the group's leaders stuck to their guns on the issue.

Paxton's opinion said school districts can't pay to drive kids to polling places "absent an educational purpose." The same goes for driving employees: "Absent the performance of some educational function on behalf of the district's students, we question whether providing transportation for employees to and from polling places serves a public purpose of the school district," the opinion reads.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/17/texas-attorney-general-says-using-school-buses-drive-kids-polling-plac/

[Xipe Totec]

1. It's a practical lesson in civics

One might even call it the final exam.

[Soxfan58]

2. I'll bet churches can bus voters.

[joshdawg]

3. As long as the voters are white republicans.

[handmade34]

4. this is stupidity at it finest

what is education if not encouraging and helping students to be active in civics and vote

[Javaman]

5. "Ken Paxton issued an official, nonbinding opinion"

then he can go fuck himself

[Gothmog]

6. Ken Paxton is an idiot

[Honeycombe8]

7. I guess it's educational, since kids can't vote. ???? nt

[TexasTowelie]

8. It's possible that a small portion of high school seniors are 18 by the time that the election

occurs in November. I was 17 when I graduated high school, but my birthday is in June.

[Honeycombe8]

9. It said "kids." Didn't say elementary school or high school. So I wasn't sure who was being taken

there, or why.

Unless it was a bus of seniors, most kids in high school can't vote, so that wouldn't be the purpose, I would think.