Texas Removes Non-Citizens and Felons from Voter Registration Lists

In a significant move to bolster election integrity, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that thousands of non-citizens and felons have been removed from the state’s voter rolls, following the implementation of a 2021 law aimed at securing the state's elections. The cleanup, made possible by Senate Bill 1, has led to the removal of over 1 million ineligible voters from Texas' voter rolls.

Among those removed were more than 6,500 non-citizens and over 6,000 felons, ensuring that only eligible voters can participate in the state's elections. “Election integrity is essential to our democracy,” Abbott stated, emphasizing that Texas now has some of the strongest election laws in the nation. “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.”

• Comprehensive Cleanup: The effort also included the removal of more than 457,000 deceased individuals and over 134,000 people who had moved out of state. This initiative underscores Texas' commitment to maintaining accurate voter rolls and preventing illegal voting. The governor highlighted that the process is ongoing, with continued efforts to safeguard Texans' right to vote.

• Impact on Future Elections: This voter roll cleanup comes at a critical time, as Texas has seen increasingly competitive elections in recent years. For example, in the 2018 midterms, Republican Senator Ted Cruz narrowly defeated Democrat Beto O'Rourke by just over 200,000 votes. With margins tightening, ensuring that only eligible voters are on the rolls could prove crucial in future elections.

• National Implications: Texas is not alone in these efforts. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin also recently removed 6,300 non-citizens from his state’s voter rolls after signing an executive order to cleanse the rolls of those who may have registered by mistake or illegally. These actions reflect growing concerns about the impact of illegal immigration on election integrity, with prominent figures like Elon Musk suggesting that the Democratic Party might be leveraging illegal immigration to expand its influence, including through the apportionment process for Congressional districts.

Governor Abbott’s initiative is a clear signal that election security remains a top priority in Texas, setting a precedent that other states may follow to ensure that every vote cast is a legal one.

Share this article or subscribe to our newsletter for more updates.