Texas Identifies Over 2,700 Noncitizen Voters for Investigation

Texas authorities have identified more than 2,700 registered voters as noncitizens, prompting investigations into their eligibility. The announcement was made by Jane Nelson, the Texas Secretary of State, who stated that her office found 2,724 individuals out of approximately 18 million voters in the state to be noncitizens. The investigation process was initiated after the Secretary of State’s office provided the relevant files to Texas counties for further action.

The counties are expected to conduct thorough investigations on the identified individuals. Those confirmed as noncitizens will be referred to the Texas Attorney General’s office for further scrutiny. In Texas, noncitizens are prohibited from participating in federal, state, and most local elections. Nelson emphasized the importance of protecting voting rights, stating, “Everyone’s right to vote is sacred and must be protected.”

Investigation Protocol and Legal Framework

According to state law, county voter registrars must notify each individual identified as a noncitizen before cancelling their registration. The registrars are required to wait for a response within 30 days before proceeding with any cancellations. This process aims to ensure that all voters are given a fair chance to respond and confirm their eligibility.

To identify noncitizen voters, Texas compared its voter database with a federal government database, which Nelson referred to as a “critically important” resource. This initiative was made possible through Texas’s collaboration with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to utilize the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements data. Nelson noted that Texas was among the first states to establish this partnership, highlighting the significance of the Trump Administration’s decision to grant states direct access to this data.

Political Reactions and Implications

The move to identify noncitizen voters has sparked mixed reactions across the political spectrum. Earlier this year, most U.S. House Democrats opposed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which aims to remove noncitizens from voter lists and requires proof of citizenship for federal election registrations. Critics, including the Texas Democratic Party, argue that such measures could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.

Kendall Scudder, Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, expressed concerns about the implications of the SAVE Act, stating, “We’ve worked hard to make it easier for working folks to legally cast their ballots, not more difficult.” He further described the bill as part of a “long history of regressive politics aimed at restricting our freedoms.”

As investigations unfold, the state of Texas is poised to navigate a complex landscape of voter eligibility and rights, balancing the enforcement of election laws with the need to protect legitimate voters. The ramifications of these actions could influence voter participation and the broader electoral process in the state and beyond.

Questions and concerns regarding this issue can be directed to Ray at [email protected].