Texas withdraws from ERIC, a voter-roll management group controlled by leftists.

Texas Withdraws from ERIC, Taking a Stand⁤ for Voter Integrity

Following the‍ lead of other Republican-led states, Texas announced last week it will be withdrawing from the leftist-controlled voter-roll management group known⁣ as ⁣ERIC later this year.

As The Federalist has previously⁤ reported, the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, is a widely used voter-roll management organization⁢ founded by Democrat activist ⁢ David Becker ​ that was​ “sold to states⁢ as ‌a quick​ and easy‍ way to⁤ update their voter rolls.” In actuality, ERIC inflates voter rolls ⁤by requiring member states to contact eligible but‍ unregistered‍ residents and encouraging them to register⁤ to vote.

In a letter sent to ⁣ERIC Executive Director​ Shane⁣ Hamlin on Thursday, Director of Elections Christina​ Adkins informed the organization that Texas⁣ would‍ be⁢ terminating its ERIC membership “effective 91 days from the⁣ date of this letter.” The date of⁤ resignation is⁤ in ⁤accordance with‍ ERIC’s bylaws, according to the document.

Texas’ withdrawal from ERIC⁢ was made possible by legislation signed into law ‌ last month by Gov. Greg Abbott that⁣ permits the state to contract with a separate private sector data system instead of⁣ ERIC, which according to its ⁣ website, is “funded and governed by states that choose to join.” As noted ⁢in SB 1070,‌ Texas is ​ required to “cooperate with​ other states⁣ and jurisdictions to develop systems” that clean its voter rolls.

The new law is set to​ take effect on Sept. 1.

In addition to founding ERIC, Becker is also the​ founder ‌of the Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR),​ which, along with the ⁤Center for Tech and​ Civic⁢ Life, received hundreds of millions of dollars from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg​ leading‌ up to the 2020 election. These grants were poured into local election⁣ offices throughout the country to push sloppy Democrat-backed voting policies, such as mass mail-in voting and the widespread use of ballot drop boxes.

Analyses have shown these “Zuckbucks” were heavily skewed toward Democrat ‌municipalities, especially in swing states, effectively making it a giant Democrat get-out-the-vote operation.

CEIR’s interference in the​ electoral process isn’t ‌exclusive to the 2020‌ election, however.​ As The Federalist previously explained, ⁣CEIR enjoys an ​active relationship with ERIC, which transmits the voter-roll data it receives from states to CEIR. Upon receiving the​ data, CEIR ‍“then‌ develops⁣ targeted mailing lists and sends them back​ to the states to use for voter registration outreach.” In other words, CEIR — a highly ⁢partisan nonprofit with a history of left-wing activism — is creating lists of potential (and likely Democrat) voters for states to register in the lead-up to ⁢major elections.

Instead of highlighting these⁤ alarming connections, legacy media have largely obfuscated ERIC’s ties to CEIR in an apparent⁣ bid⁣ to label Republican concerns about the organization as⁤ illegitimate. Following Ohio and Iowa’s announced ⁤departures from the⁣ organization in March, ⁣for example, Politico ran a hit piece accusing departing GOP-led states of‌ having “conspiratorial-minded reasons” for leaving ERIC.

In ​addition to Texas, Ohio, and Iowa, the states of ⁣ Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, and Missouri announced their departures from ERIC earlier this year. ​ Alabama and Louisiana resigned from ⁢the group last year.

Shawn Fleetwood⁤ is a staff writer for The⁢ Federalist ⁤and a graduate of ⁢the ⁤University of Mary ⁤Washington. He previously served as a state ⁢content writer​ for Convention of States Action and‍ his ‍work has been featured in numerous ⁣outlets,​ including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood