Texas AG Investigates Possible Illegal Voter Registrations
The article discusses an investigation led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton into allegations that nonprofit organizations are illegally registering noncitizens to vote. The investigation was prompted by reports of such organizations operating outside Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) offices, offering voter registration assistance. Paxton’s team conducted undercover operations in major Texas metropolitan areas and confirmed that these nonprofits were indeed engaging in voter registration activities near DPS facilities.
Paxton expressed concern that these efforts could lead to illegal influences on elections by foreign nationals, citing that it is a crime for noncitizens to vote or register to vote in Texas. He stated that any wrongdoing would be dealt with harshly, including potential penalties of up to 20 years in prison for serious violations.
Governor Greg Abbott supported Paxton’s investigation, emphasizing that illegal voter registration will not be tolerated in Texas. The DPS has temporarily prohibited such registration groups from operating at its facilities in response to the ongoing investigation. The article highlights the serious implications of these allegations and the state’s commitment to ensuring election integrity.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating reports of nonprofits illegally registering noncitizens to vote.
“Nonprofit organizations have been located outside Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License offices, operating booths offering to assist in voter registration for persons doing business,” reads an Aug. 21 press release from Paxton’s office.
Investigators with Paxton’s Election Integrity Unit recently performed “undercover operations” in “major metropolitan areas” regarding possible registration of noncitizens to vote, according to the release. Investigators have “already confirmed” nonprofit registration efforts outside Texas DPS offices.
“If eligible citizens can legally register to vote when conducting their business at a DPS office, why would they need a second opportunity to register with a booth outside?” Paxton said in the release. “The Biden-Harris Administration has intentionally flooded our country with illegal aliens, and without proper safeguards, foreign nationals can illegally influence elections at the local, state, and national level.”
The attorney general’s office is continuing an “ongoing investigation,” Paxton said in a statement to The Federalist.
“We cannot provide more information at this time,” Paxton said. “It is encouraging that these booths are now prohibited from operating on DPS property.”
The DPS had allegedly been tacitly allowing these efforts near driver’s license offices, according to Texas Scorecard. But due to Paxton’s investigation, the department “temporarily prohibited” voter registration groups from operating on its property.
“It is a crime to vote — or to register to vote — if you are not a United States Citizen,” Paxton said in the release. “Any wrongdoing will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
It is a “crime in Texas to lie about one’s citizenship” or to help another person do so when registering to vote, according to the release. The crime brings a punishment of up to two years in a state jail and a $10,000 fine. It is also illegal in Texas for noncitizens to vote or help someone else do so. Violations bring a punishment of up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
“Texans are deeply troubled by the possibility that organizations purporting to assist with voter registration are illegally registering noncitizens to vote in our elections,” the release said.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott echoed a similar sentiment on X, referring to Paxton’s investigation.
“Illegally registering non-citizens to vote won’t be tolerated in Texas. It’s a crime,” Abbott said. “We won’t let cheaters influence elections in Texas.”
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