Flashback: Texas Secretary of State’s Office Revealed that 95,000 People Identified as Non U.S. Citizens are Registered to Vote in the Lone Star State and Potentially Steal Elections
Jose Nino
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On January 25, 2019, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement following the Secretary of State’s discovery of 95,000 individuals identified by the Department of Public Safety as non-U.S. citizens who have a matching voter registration record in Texas. In addition, about 58,000 of them have voted in one or more Texas elections.
Paxton stated:
Every single instance of illegal voting threatens democracy in our state and deprives individual Texans of their voice. We’re honored to have partnered with the Texas Secretary of State’s office in the past on voter initiatives and we will spare no effort in assisting with these troubling cases. My Election Fraud Unit stands ready to investigate and prosecute crimes against the democratic process when needed. We have obtained a number of successful non-citizen voter fraud convictions, including prison sentences for Rosa Ortega in Tarrant County and Laura Garza in Montgomery County. And earlier this month, investigators from our office arrested Marites Curry, a non-citizen charged with illegal voting in Navarro County. Nothing is more vital to preserving our Constitution than the integrity of our voting process, and my office will do everything within its abilities to solidify trust in every election in the state of Texas. I applaud Secretary of State Whitley for his proactive work in safeguarding our elections.
According to Texas law, noncitizens who are legally in the state can obtain driver’s licenses by demonstrating proof of lawful presence to DPS. Citizens are the only individuals allowed to vote in the state. As of now, Texas law does not mandate the verification of a voter’s statement that they are a citizen.
During the timeframe of 2005-2017, the attorney general’s office prosecuted 97 defendants for a multitude of voter fraud violations. In 2018, Attorney General Paxton’s Election Fraud Unit prosecuted 33 defendants who ended up accumulating a total of 97 election fraud violations. The Election Fraud Unit was able to do so with a criminal justice grant coming from the governor’s office. In February of 2018, the attorney general rolled out a significant voter fraud initiative and addressed certain issues and matters connected to election law.
Election integrity will be a major issue in 2020 given how a number of states will be using mail-in ballots. On top of that, mass migration — both illegal and otherwise — could increase the risks of potential voter fraud. If state governments and the feds don’t get their act together, the U.S.’s cohesiveness as a nation will be at risk.
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