The Texas Secretary of State, Jane Nelson, has made a significant announcement regarding the integrity of the voter rolls within the state. Following an exhaustive audit, her office has discovered a total of 2,724 individuals who may not be eligible to vote due to possible noncitizen status. This revelation emerged after a meticulous comparison of the state's 18 million registered voters against federal citizenship records from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' SAVE database.
President Donald Trump's administration provided states with unprecedented access to this federal data, facilitating a more effective review of voter registrations. The identified individuals are now subject to an eligibility review conducted by each of Texas's 254 counties, as prescribed by Chapter 16 of the Texas Election Code. The implications of this finding are considerable, as counties have begun the process of verifying the citizenship of those flagged in the audit.
Jane Nelson emphasized the sanctity of the voting process, stating, "Only eligible United States citizens may participate in our elections." She went on to express gratitude for the collaborative efforts with the federal government to validate the citizenship of individuals on the state's voter rolls and to maintain accurate lists. The secretary of state's office further explained that each potential noncitizen will be notified by their county registrar and given 30 days to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Failure to respond will result in cancellation of their registration, although it can be reinstated upon submission of the necessary proof.
Should it be confirmed that any noncitizens have voted in previous Texas elections, these cases will be referred to the attorney general's office for potential prosecution. Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has been a staunch advocate for such audits, citing the removal of over one million ineligible or outdated registrations from the state's voter rolls since the implementation of Senate Bill 1. He has characterized these efforts as essential to safeguarding the Texan right to vote and as evidence of Texas's leadership in election integrity.
The announcement coincides with a heightened national focus on the accuracy of voter rolls, with several other states, including Georgia, Arizona, and Florida, conducting similar reviews. Harris County, with 362 potential noncitizens, leads the list, followed by Dallas, Bexar, and El Paso counties. Smaller counties reported fewer than ten flagged registrations each.
The scope of this audit and the resulting actions underscore a nationwide trend toward stricter voter registration verification. Amidst the scrutiny, Texas counties have already commenced the process of sending verification notices, marking the beginning of a 30-day review period.
In June, Nelson reported referring 33 potential noncitizens who voted in the November 2024 General Election to the attorney general's office for investigation. This move came shortly after Texas gained access to the SAVE Database, which Nelson described as a "game-changer" for election integrity.
