Local conservative politician Chip Hunt has joined forces with the Republican Party of Texas to sue the state government seeking to close primary elections.

Currently, primary elections in Texas are open, meaning that any voter can vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary (though they may not vote in both during the same election).

The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alledges that the open primary requirement violates the Texas GOP’s first amendment right of freedom of association. The lawsuit specifically complains that, given the dominance of the Republican Party in Texas politics, independents and Democrats strategically vote in Republican primary elections, preventing the party from being able to independently choose its own candidates.

The Texas GOP recently passed a party rule requiring closed primaries, but state law currently does not allow for the rule to be implemented.

Hunt, a longtime local business owner, recently nearly defeated incumbent Potter County Commissioner HR Kelly in the 2024 Republican primary. She currently serves as a Potter County Republican Party precinct chair and a member of the Potter County Appraisal District Board of Directors.

Conservative law firm Lehotsky Keller Cohn LLP is representing the plaintiffs. Also representing the plaintiffs are local attorney Eric Vickers, who previously clerked for Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk.

The named defendants are the State of Texas and Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson.

The suit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas and will likely be heard by Judge Kacsmaryk.