Democrats have slammed Engage Texas PAC for setting up at driver’s license offices, raising controversial debate over access to public space for Non-Governmental Organisations and private individuals.

Engage Texas, a GOP affiliated advocacy group has launched a voter registration campaign in “Dallas-area cities, such as Irving, Arlington and Denton; Houston-area cities, such as Sugar Land and Waller; and Austin-area cities, such as Round Rock, Cedar Park and Pflugerville — all former Republican strongholds that are expected to become battlegrounds in 202”.

On August 27, 2019 Engage Texas took its activism to the grounds of the Texas Department of Public Safety [DPS] Driver License Mega Center on Gessner Road in Houston. This caused a row with the State Democrats who slammed the move by Engage Texas. The leader of Texas Democratic caucus, Rep. Chris Turner, decried the use of taxpayer’s money to subsidize the activities of Engage Texas.

In effect allowing Engage Texas on the grounds the DPS is arguably tantamount to providing tax funded space to a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). However, the DPS “said in a statement that public spaces outside driver license offices are available for “political speech,” and it appears that Engage Texas is just beginning to ramp up its efforts to register voters ahead of the 2020 elections in which the GOP faces more competitive races than it has in over a decade.”

Taylor Goldenstein and Dylan McGuinness have the story in the Houston Chronicle

See full story here.