Texas eliminates over 1 million unqualified individuals from the voter registry

Texas

In a significant move to enhance election integrity, Governor Greg Abbott announced on August 26, 2024, that Texas has removed over one million ineligible voters from its voter rolls since the signing of Senate Bill 1 into law in 2021.

This extensive purge includes noncitizens, deceased individuals, and people who have moved out of state. The removal process is ongoing, with the Secretary of State and county voter registrars legally required to review and update the voter rolls continuously.

Governor Abbott emphasized the importance of these reforms in protecting the right to vote and cracking down on illegal voting.

Among those removed were over 6,500 noncitizens, more than 6,000 individuals with felony convictions, approximately 457,000 deceased persons, and over 463,000 voters on the suspense list.

Additionally, around 134,000 voters who had moved and 65,000 who failed to respond to examination notices were also purged.

The governor's announcement has sparked caution among election experts, who note that federal and state laws already mandate voter roll maintenance.

They warn that framing this routine process as a crackdown on illegal voting could undermine public trust in elections.

Historical incidents, such as the erroneous flagging of naturalized citizens as noncitizens in 2019, highlight the potential for mistakes in such large-scale purges.

Despite these concerns, state officials assert that Texas maintains strong, clean voter rolls, with rigorous verification processes involving data from the Texas Department of Public Safety and other sources. The state continues to explore additional measures to improve voter roll maintenance and eligibility verification practices.