Texas Attorney General Investigates Alleged Illegal Votes by Non-Citizens

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has begun an investigation into 33 possible cases of non-citizens voting illegally in the 2024 general election.

Paxton, a Republican who is also making strides in a Senate campaign against Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, made the announcement during a recent press conference. His office noted awareness of potential illegal voting by Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, who mentioned that access to information on this matter was granted under an executive order from President Donald Trump earlier this year.

This executive order, titled “Maintaining and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” instructed the Department of National and Homeland Security to ensure states could verify the citizenship or immigration status of individuals registering to vote.

The order also charged Attorney General Kristi Noem of DHS with providing complete information about foreigners who might have registered or voted in elections. Furthermore, it included access to a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services database, which Nelson could use to look into the suspected illegal voting, as stated by Paxton.

Trump emphasized the importance of fair elections, asserting that every vote must be counted accurately, without undue influence from illegal voting.

In August 2024, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that 1.1 million individuals had been removed from the voter rolls—those who had moved, died, or were found to be non-citizens. According to the governor’s office, over 6,500 of these people are believed to be potential non-citizens, including about 1,930 who had previously voted.

However, the Texas Tribune reported claims that the governor’s office may have overstated the number of non-citizen voters. Still, Abbott’s office intends to proceed with the removal process.

In his announcement about the investigation, Paxton stated, “These potential cases of illegal voting will be thoroughly investigated. I will continue to fight to ensure our state’s elections are secure.” He stressed that the integrity of elections hinges on participation by lawful citizens only, and that illegal voting undermines that integrity.