AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Republican Party of Texas, or RPT, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court Thursday, claiming that the state's open primary election system "violates [its] First Amendment rights."

That system, which has been in place for decades, allows Texans to vote in either party's primary elections. If they do, they must also declare that they won't vote in the other party's primary.

However, the RPT changed its bylaws in 2024 to only allow registered Republicans to vote in its primaries. In June 2025, the party's executive committee hired a law firm to bring the legal challenge, as KXAN previously reported.

"The First Amendment entitles political parties to determine who they associate with to select their nominees for public office," the lawsuit reads, citing legal precedent.

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