Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Monday that the state has purged over 1.1 million names from its voter rolls since the 2020 presidential election, citing ineligibility. This action comes after Texas passed an election integrity bill in 2021, requiring the state to conduct monthly checks of voter rolls against a database of citizenship status maintained by the Department of Public Safety.
The governor’s office highlighted the removal of noncitizens, deceased voters, and individuals who have moved to other states as reasons for the purge. The largest group removed were those on the ‘suspense list’, individuals who failed to confirm their residential address in Texas, totaling over 463,000 people. Additionally, over 457,000 deceased individuals were identified and removed from the rolls. The state claims that approximately 6,500 noncitizens were purged, with nearly 2,000 alleged to have cast votes in past elections.
Governor Abbott defended the move, stating that ‘election integrity is essential to our democracy’ and that the state has implemented the ‘strongest election laws in the nation’ to protect voting rights and crack down on illegal voting. He also emphasized that ‘illegal voting in Texas will never be tolerated.’
However, this action has been met with criticism from some who argue that the purge disproportionately affects minority voters and is a politically motivated attempt to suppress voter turnout. Critics point to the significant number of voters removed due to address issues, a process they claim is often difficult for individuals, particularly those with limited resources, to navigate.
The Texas government has referred cases of suspected ineligible voters participating in elections to Attorney General Ken Paxton for prosecution. The state maintains that the removal of ineligible voters is an ongoing legal requirement, with county voter registrars tasked with reviewing voter rolls, removing ineligible voters, and reporting any potential illegal voting to authorities for investigation and prosecution.
