Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has formally requested voter registration records from Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson. The request seeks information on registered voters who do not have a State of Texas-issued driver's license or identification card number. This effort aims to prevent noncitizen voting and investigate potential voter fraud.
On September 18, Paxton urged Nelson to obtain data from the federal government to determine the citizenship status of certain registered voters whose eligibility cannot be verified by the state. However, Paxton criticized the Secretary of State's Office for sending a request that allows for delays and lacks necessary information about individuals whose citizenship status needs verification.
Two weeks later, with only one month remaining before the election, the Texas Secretary of State has yet to send the list of potential noncitizen voters to the federal government for verification. In response, Paxton has asked Nelson to share this list voluntarily with his office through intergovernmental information sharing. Additionally, he has made a Public Information Act request for the registration data so he can send it himself if necessary.
In his letter to Nelson, Paxton stated: “As our offices continue our cooperative efforts on the critical issue of election integrity, my office has identified information maintained by the Secretary of State that will facilitate our efforts to prevent non-U.S. Citizens from casting illegal votes in Texas elections and to investigate potential voter fraud. To that end, I formally request that you provide to my office each record in the statewide voter registration database (TEAM) for which the Secretary of State does not have a State of Texas issued driver’s license or identification card number for that individual.”
Paxton emphasized urgency in his statement: “There is no time for delay. Texans cannot afford to lose another second waiting for their vote and their voice to be protected from illegal ballots,” he said. “Every election official in the State must join me in prioritizing this. Our State and our Country are counting on you to do everything possible to expedite transparency and accountability to secure our elections and make sure noncitizens do not illegally vote.”
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