Texas officials have uncovered thousands of illegal aliens registered to vote across the state, according to Secretary of State Jane Nelson.
Nelson announced the findings Monday as part of a sweeping review of voter rolls.
A cross-check of the state’s voter registration database identified 2,724 potential noncitizens whose records have been flagged for investigation in all 254 Texas counties, Nelson said.
“Only eligible United States citizens may participate in our elections,” Nelson said in a statement.
“The Trump Administration’s decision to give states free and direct access to this data set for the first time has been a game changer, and we appreciate the partnership with the federal government to verify the citizenship of those on our voter rolls and maintain accurate voter lists.”
Federal Cross-Check Reveals Ineligible Registrations
The review compared Texas’s 18 million registered voters with federal citizenship data in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) database.
According to Nelson’s office, the SAVE database allowed the state to identify and refer questionable registrations to county officials for eligibility verification.
Under Chapter 16 of the Texas Election Code, counties must confirm whether each flagged voter is eligible and remove confirmed noncitizens from the rolls.
“Everyone’s right to vote is sacred and must be protected,” Nelson said.
“We encourage counties to conduct rigorous investigations to determine if any voter is ineligible – just as they do with any other data set we provide.”
Each flagged voter will receive a notice from their county registrar and have 30 days to provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
Failure to respond will result in cancellation of their voter registration, which can be reinstated later upon proof of eligibility.
Confirmed noncitizens who previously voted in Texas elections will be referred to the Office of the Attorney General for potential prosecution.
Abbott: Texas “Leading the Nation in Election Integrity”
Governor Greg Abbott praised the findings as part of a larger state effort to strengthen election integrity since the passage of Senate Bill 1, which modernized verification procedures and expanded oversight.
“These reforms have led to the removal of over one million ineligible people from our voter rolls in the last three years, including noncitizens, deceased voters, and people who moved to another state,” Abbott said.
“The Secretary of State and county voter registrars have an ongoing legal requirement to review the voter rolls, remove ineligible voters, and refer any potential illegal voting to the Attorney General’s Office and local authorities for investigation and prosecution,” he continued.
“Illegal voting in Texas will never be tolerated. We will continue to actively safeguard Texans’ sacred right to vote while also aggressively protecting our elections from illegal voting.”
Abbott said the initiative proves that Texas is “leading the nation in election integrity.”
Largest Numbers Found in Major Metro Counties
A breakdown released by Nelson’s office showed Harris County with the largest number of potential noncitizens (362), followed by Dallas County (277), Bexar County (201), and El Paso County (165).
Smaller counties such as Andrews, Llano, and Cooke reported fewer than ten flagged registrations.
Counties began sending out verification notices this week as part of the 30-day review process.
Early Success from Federal Partnership
Texas gained access to the SAVE database earlier this year through a federal partnership established under President Trump’s administration, which for the first time gave states free, direct access to verify voter citizenship.
Nelson said the cross-check is already yielding results.
“Gaining access to this database has been a game-changer,” Nelson said.
“Not only have we been able to identify individuals who should not have voted in the last election, we have also been able to confirm naturalization of dozens more.”
In June, Nelson referred the names of 33 potential noncitizens who voted in the November 2024 General Election to the Attorney General’s Office for investigation.
Texas is also one of the first states participating in a pilot program with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), USCIS, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to improve federal-state data accuracy for citizenship verification.
“We are in the early stages of this pilot program, but we already see promising results,” Nelson said.
“This may be the most current and accurate data set there is when it comes to citizenship verification.”
County registrars are expected to complete their investigations by early December, with removals and referrals to follow.
“The SAVE database has proven to be a critically important data set and one of many that we will continue to use in Texas to ensure that only qualified voters cast a ballot in our elections,” Nelson said.
READ MORE – 1,500 Illegal Aliens Arrested in Massive DHS Bust in Illinois
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