In a recent move, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has requested access to voter registration data from Secretary of State Jane Nelson, with a particular interest in registrants without a State of Texas-issued driver's license or identification card number. This request is aimed at reinforcing efforts to prevent illegal voting by noncitizens and to investigate any possible instances of voter fraud, as reported by the Texas Attorney General's Office.
It was on September 18 when Paxton first expressed the need for this data to ensure the integrity of the upcoming elections, but the request made by the Secretary of State to the federal government was deemed inadequate for verification purposes, allowing for potential delays and missing critical information needed for proper citizen verification before the election while two weeks have elapsed and now with the election a mere month away, the necessary list of potential noncitizen voters has yet to be delivered to the federal government for further verification.
The office of the Attorney General is now seeking to circumvent these delays by directly acquiring the list from the SOS through intergovernmental information sharing and, alternatively, has made a Public Information Act request to obtain the voter registration data. In a statement by the Texas Attorney General's Office, AG Paxton outlines the urgency of this matter: "There is no time for delay. Texans cannot afford to lose another second waiting for their vote and their voice to be protected from illegal ballots," asserting the need for prompt action to safeguard the election.
Paxton's request has underscored his mission to uphold election integrity, with a call to action for state election officials to prioritize this issue, as ensuring the accuracy and legality of the electoral process remains a pressing concern especially, as mentioned by the Texas Attorney General's Office, "Every election official in the State must join me in prioritizing this. Our State and our Country are counting on you to do everything possible to expedite transparency and accountability to secure our elections and make sure noncitizens do not illegally vote." reflecting the gravity he ascribes to the matter at hand.
