Virginia, Alabama, and Ohio have also taken steps to remove noncitizens from voter rolls ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Aug. 26 that over 1 million ineligible voters have been purged from the state’s voter rolls in the last three years, including more than 6,500 noncitizens and 457,000 deceased individuals.
Of the 6,500 potential noncitizens removed, approximately 1,930 have a history of voting. Abbott has referred these records to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for further investigation and potential legal action.
The cleanup of the voter rolls began in 2021 when Abbott signed Senate Bill 1, which aimed to enhance election integrity and security.
“I have enacted the most robust election laws in the country to safeguard the right to vote and combat illegal voting,” Abbott stated in a press release on Monday.
Additionally, Texas removed 6,000 felons, 463,000 individuals on the suspense list, 134,000 individuals who relocated, 65,000 who did not respond to an examination notice, and 19,000 voters who canceled their registration.
Other states have also recently announced initiatives to cleanse their voter rolls by eliminating noncitizens.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin disclosed this month that he issued an executive order removing 6,303 noncitizens from voter rolls. Similarly, Alabama removed at least 3,251 noncitizens, and Ohio removed 137.
Abbott emphasized that Texas will continue to maintain the voter rolls and ensure the protection of Texans’ right to vote while aggressively upholding election integrity.
Senate Bill 1 in Texas was enacted following the contentious 2020 presidential election. It banned certain voting practices, expanded poll watcher access, and imposed stricter regulations on mail-in ballots.
In addition, in 2021, Abbott signed Senate Bill 1113 and House Bill 574, which enhanced measures to remove noncitizens from voter rolls and penalized fraudulent voting practices.
In 2023, Abbott signed House Bill 1243, which increased penalties for illegal voting, particularly by noncitizens, to a second-degree felony.
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