This article has been updated since publication.
Following reports of organizations potentially working in Texas to register illegal aliens to vote, Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced his office is launching an investigation.
According to a release from Paxton’s office:
Investigators from the Texas Attorney General’s Election Integrity Unit recently conducted undercover operations to identify potential voter registration of noncitizens in Texas. The investigation has already confirmed that various nonprofit organizations have been located outside Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License offices, operating booths offering to assist in voter registration for persons doing business at the driver’s license offices. But all citizens have already been presented an opportunity to register to vote as part of the process of renewing or being issued an identification card or driver’s license, so there is no obvious need to assist citizens to register to vote outside DPS offices—calling into question the motives of the nonprofit groups.
Paxton said the possibility of this activity is deeply troubling to Texans.
“If eligible citizens can legally register to vote when conducting their business at a DPS office, why would they need a second opportunity to register with a booth outside? My office is investigating every credible report we receive regarding potential criminal activity that could compromise the integrity of our elections,” said Paxton.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has intentionally flooded our country with illegal aliens, and without proper safeguards, foreign nationals can illegally influence elections at the local, state, and national level. It is a crime to vote—or to register to vote—if you are not a United States Citizen. Any wrongdoing will be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” he added.
Gov. Greg Abbott expressed support for Paxton’s investigation on X.
Illegally registering non-citizens to vote won't be tolerated in Texas.
It's a crime.
Attorney General @KenPaxtonTX is thoroughly investigating it.
We won't let cheaters influence elections in Texas. https://t.co/YL5yfy3YiN
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 21, 2024
Parker County GOP Chair Brady Gray noted after investigating similar tips in his county that individuals manning tents or tables to register voters on DPS grounds “would be told to leave, as it is not allowed.”
As of publishing, DPS did not respond to a request for comment on whether they have a statewide policy allowing or disallowing voter registration outside driver license offices.
Let us know if you have a tip about suspected illegal voter registration efforts in your city or county at [email protected].
