There are more than 2,700 “potential noncitizens” on Texas’ voter rolls, according to Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson.
Nelson announced Monday that her office compared the state’s voter registration list against citizenship data in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ SAVE database and discovered 2,724 potential noncitizens who are registered to vote. The SAVE database allows local, state, and federal government agencies to verify an individual’s immigration status. The Trump administration granted states free and direct access to the database, according to Nelson.
“The Trump Administration’s decision to give states free and direct access to this data set for the first time has been a game changer, and we appreciate the partnership with the federal government to verify the citizenship of those on our voter rolls and maintain accurate voter lists,” Nelson said.
Nelson’s office said the potential noncitizens’ names were sent to Texas counties for further investigation into their eligibility. Any individual who is determined to be a noncitizen will then be referred to the Office of Attorney General, Nelson’s office said.
“Only eligible United States citizens may participate in our elections,” Nelson said.
Any voter who is identified as a potential non-citizen is given the opportunity to present proof of citizenship within 30 days. Voters that cannot provide proof of citizenship will have their registration canceled, though individuals can have their registration reinstated should they provide proof of citizenship at a later point.
None of this runaround would be necessary, however, if Democrats would vote to pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. While noncitizen voting in federal elections is already illegal, the only thing standing between a noncitizen getting on the voter rolls and our free and fair elections is a small square box on the federal voter registration form requiring prospective voters attest under penalty of perjury they are a citizen. In other words, it’s the honor system.
[READ NEXT: 5 Common Lies About The SAVE Act — And How To Refute Them]
The SAVE Act would require voters provide documentary proof of citizenship to register by amending the 1993 National Voter Registration Act.
Notably, several noncitizens have made their way onto voter rolls — and even voted — as a result of the insecure system.
Forty-one noncitizens cast a ballot in North Carolina in 2016. In 2019, 11,198 noncitizens were removed from Pennsylvania’s voter rolls, according to the Washington Times. During the 2024 election cycle, a Chinese college student cast an illegal vote despite being a noncitizen. (His vote was ultimately counted since ballots are secret; once a vote is cast and tabulated, it is impossible to determine who cast the ballot.)
A Georgia audit found 20 noncitizens registered to vote — nearly half of which cast ballots in past elections, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Oregon once found nine noncitizens who had voted in past elections after discovering “more than 300 noncitizens were erroneously registered to vote,” Logan Washburn reported in these pages.
Read the full article here
