Texas is taking significant steps to ensure the integrity of its voter rolls. Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state is turning over its registration lists to the Justice Department for review. In a post on X, he emphasized, “Only American citizens can vote in the Lone Star State.” This initiative is aimed at identifying potential ineligible voters and reinforcing the commitment to maintain accurate voter registration.
The governor’s confirmation comes in the wake of an earlier report from Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson. In October, Nelson revealed that a check of state voter records had uncovered over 2,700 potential illegal immigrants registered to vote. This alarming discovery initiated a thorough eligibility review across Texas’s 254 counties. The aim is clear: to ensure that only eligible voters influence election outcomes.
In recent years, the federal government has pushed states to comply with voter roll regulations. The Justice Department argues that transparency in voter registration is critical for maintaining accurate records and fostering trust in elections. However, this push has not come without contention. Democrats have cautioned that states complying with these requests may run afoul of federal election laws. DNC Chair Ken Martin expressed concerns that sharing voter information could jeopardize the privacy of eligible voters and lead to unlawful purges of the voter rolls.
Texas is not acting alone in this effort. It is one of several states that has shared voter registration data with federal authorities, as noted by the Brennan Center for Justice. Meanwhile, the DOJ has been active in filing lawsuits against states that refuse to comply with requests for their voter information. Recently, six states—Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington—were sued for allegedly violating federal law by not providing their voter registration rolls.
Governor Abbott’s actions suggest a proactive approach to election integrity in Texas. By allowing a review of voter registrations, the state aims to address issues of ineligible voting head-on, which has become a significant focus in the national conversation about election security. This measure is seen as a necessary step to uphold the value of every legitimate vote cast in Texas elections.
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