A federal judge has given Texas less than two months to implement online voter registration for residents who update their driver's license information online — a mandate that could introduce the first form of online voter registration in the state if the order withstands the appeal that is likely to follow.

Pointing to registration deadlines for the November election, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia in a Friday filing created a 45-day deadline for the state to create the online system in order to comply with federal law. Garcia had previously ruled that Texas was violating the federal National Voter Registration law, often called the Motor Voter Act, which is designed to ease the voter registration process.

Texans can already register in person at Department of Public Safety offices, but not when they renew their licenses online. Texans updating their driver’s licenses online were instead directed to a registration form on the secretary of state’s website that they then had to print out and send to their county registrar.

The state must now correct course after violating federal law “for several years” and submit within within two weeks a proposal for a public education plan to inform drivers of the option to register online, Garcia said.

Today, Chief Judge Orlando Garcia released his judgment to address Texas’ violation of the National Voter Registration Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Court has ordered the State to: implement online voter registration with drivers’ license transactions within 45 days (July 2, 2018); create a broad-based public education plan to ensure that voters know about this new registration option; and submit data to TCRP and our co-counsel, Waters & Krauss, LLP, for three years so we can monitor compliance.

Last Thursday, Chief Judge Garcia ordered the parties in the case to submit proposals to address the State’s violation. Flouting the Court’s order, the State did not propose a solution, instead attacking the Plaintiffs’ proposal.

Beth Stevens, Voting Rights Director for the Texas Civil Rights Project, issued the following statement:

“We are elated that the Chief Judge granted our proposed solution. 25 years ago, Congress passed the NVRA to get more people registered to vote; it’s long past time for the State to stop wasting time and resources defending its unlawful violation of this pivotal voting rights law. We urge State officials to come to the table and work with us to implement the court’s that will ensure that not one single voter loses their opportunity to vote.”