Texas Governor Sends Voter Rolls to Justice Department

On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state is forwarding its voter registration lists to the Department of Justice for verification of possible ineligible voters. In a statement shared on X, he emphasized that only U.S. citizens are permitted to participate in elections in Texas.

“Last month, the state of Texas sent a list of the state’s registered voters to the Department of Justice,” Abbott’s post stated. “We want voter rolls to be checked for ineligible registrations. Only U.S. citizens can vote in Texas.” This move follows a report from Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, who revealed in October that a review of voter records discovered over 2,700 possible illegal immigrants listed as registered voters, prompting checks across 254 counties.

In recent years, federal officials have intensified scrutiny on voter roll compliance, arguing that transparency in registration lists is vital for accurate record-keeping, minimizing errors, and ensuring public confidence in election outcomes.

Democratic leaders have cautioned that complying with Justice Department requests for voter registration data may lead to violations of federal election laws. Last week, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin indicated that the party is prepared to pursue legal action if states agree to share their voter information with the Justice Department. This, they argue, could risk voter suppression and raise privacy issues.

Interestingly, Texas is among at least seven states that provide voter information to the federal government, as noted by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, which monitors the actions of the Justice Department in this area.

In December, the Justice Department filed lawsuits against six Democratic-led states — Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington — for allegedly breaching federal law by not supplying their statewide voter registration rolls when requested.