For Immediate Release: Saturday, December 10, 2022
Press Contact(s):
Ground Game Texas - press@groundgametexas.org
Mano Amiga - sam@manoamigasm.org; 956-324-9353

Ground Game Texas and Mano Amiga Respond to Lame Duck Hays County DA's Request for AG Opinion on San Marcos Proposition A

SAN MARCOS, TX (Saturday, December 10, 2022) - On Saturday, December 10, 2022, the voter engagement and mobilization organization, Ground Game Texas, and the grassroots criminal-justice group Mano Amiga, issued the below statements in response to the Hays County District Attorney's request for an Attorney General Opinion on the San Marcos Proposition A ballot initiative. 

Proposition A, a ballot initiative launched by Ground Game Texas and Mano Amiga to decriminalize low-level marijuana offenses in San Marcos, was overwhelmingly passed by voters with 81.8% of the vote. Outgoing Hays County Criminal District Attorney Wes Mau issued the lame duck request for an opinion after not seeking re-election. In November, voters in San Marcos elected Democrat Kelly Higgins, who has expressed support for efforts to decriminalize marijuana.

"The request for an Attorney General opinion on Prop A is a disappointing action from a lame duck District Attorney hoping to overturn the will of voters," said Mike Siegel, General Counsel to Ground Game Texas. "We are monitoring this request closely, and are prepared to take action if the Attorney General intervenes. We expect the elected officials in San Marcos to respect the will of the voters who elected them, and look forward to the people of Hays County being represented by a new District Attorney who will do just that."

Earlier this week, Mano Amiga obtained emails, via open records, in which San Marcos Police Department Chief of Police, Stan Standridge, and San Marcos Public Safety Director Chase Stapp both express their intentions to honor the will of the voters.

"Emails between our chief of police and his immediate superior indicate that even the top brass of our police department has no interest in challenging the policy and is prepared to enforce it," said Sam Benavides of Mano Amiga. "This begs the question: why is someone with less than 30 days left on the job trying to dismiss the will of 80% of our voters?"

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About Ground Game Texas
Ground Game Texas is a voter engagement and mobilization organization founded by Register2Vote leaders Julie Oliver and Mike Siegel in 2021. Based in Austin, Ground Game Texas seeks to organize voters community-by-community, collaborating with partners on the ground to meet voters at their doors and push for popular progressive policies across the state of Texas.

About Mano Amiga
Mano Amiga seeks a world where people of all color and creed are free to move without persecution, a world without fear of policing. We implement this in our work by promoting change from the ground-up through local advocacy, education, art, and community engagement.