Att. Gen. Ken Paxton has formally requested that the Biden-Harris administration provide data on the citizenship status of hundreds of thousands of registered voters in Texas.
This request comes amidst ongoing concerns about the potential amount of non-citizens currently listed on the state’s voter rolls.
In August, Governor Greg Abbott announced that Texas had successfully eliminated more than one million ineligible voters from its registration rolls since 2021, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
In a letter dated September 18, Paxton urged Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson to pursue more information from the federal government regarding approximately 450,000 voters whose citizenship status has not been verified.
Responding to Paxton’s request earlier this month, Nelson wrote, “As of this afternoon, my office has not received any reply from the federal government. As such, I am securely transmitting the list of voters you described in your letter so that you may take additional actions as appropriate.”
“As you requested, the information being provided to your office consists of all voter records in the statewide voter registration system for which there is no Texas driver license or personal identification card number. The records do not reflect, and are in no way indicative of, a list of potential non-United States citizens on the State’s voter rolls,” Nelson added.
In a letter dated October 7 to Ur M Jaddou, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Paxton’s office asked for help verifying the citizenship status of the 454,289 registered voters whose citizenship has yet to be checked.
Paxton’s requests have focused on the need for this data to help expedite the verification process for voters who do not currently possess any state-issued identification specifically.
“I demand full cooperation from the federal government to ensure that any noncitizens remaining on Texas’s voter registration rolls are identified. The Biden-Harris Administration is legally obligated to assist States in doing so, and it is imperative that we use every tool available to uphold the integrity of our elections,” Paxton said in a press release published on October 7.
The issue of noncitizen voting has become a focal point in discussions about Texas’ election integrity.
The attorney general’s recent press release further reads, “While it is a crime for noncitizens to register to vote, federal law has been construed by the courts to restrict states from requiring proof of citizenship as a prerequisite for registration. However, the same federal laws also place obligations on the federal government to help states investigate and identify potential noncitizens on voter rolls. Attorney General Paxton’s request letter formally triggers these obligations.”
As the 2024 elections approach, many are watching closely to see how the federal government will respond to Paxton’s request.
Paxton’s office has not received a formal response from the Biden-Harris administration.