FACT CHECK: Is Donald Trump Excluded From Texas Ballot Due To The State’s Constitution?
A post on Threads claimed that ex-President Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on the Texas ballot because of a felony conviction. The post included an image purportedly from the Texas Constitution. However, this statement is false; there are no such provisions in the Texas or U.S. Constitution regarding felony convictions and presidential eligibility. The U.S. Constitution only requires a presidential candidate to be a natural born citizen, at least 35 years old, and a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years. Despite Trump’s recent conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records and an upcoming sentencing, these do not impact his constitutional eligibility to appear on the ballot.
An image shared on Threads claims former President Donald Trump cannot appear on the Texas ballot due to being convicted of a felony.
Post by @tim4chris
View on Threads
Verdict: False
The referenced passage is not actually in the Texas Constitution. The U.S. Constitution states the only three requirements to become president are to be a natural born U.S. citizen, be at least 35 years old and have been a U.S. resident for at least 14 years.
Fact Check:
Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records last month and is scheduled to be sentenced July 11, according to AP News. A Manhattan judge recently modified Trump’s gag order, allowing him to comment publicly on witnesses and jurors in the trial as it is now ended, the outlet reported.
The Threads post claims Trump is not allowed on the Texas ballot due to its constitution. The post shared an image allegedly showing a section taken from the Texas Constitution.
Highlighted text reads, “Texas law prohibits any person convicted of a felony from being a candidate for public office or holding any public office position. A full pardon restores eligibility to run for office.”
A screenshot of a post commenting on this reads, “Trump can’t be on the Texas ballot because of our state constitution.”
The post is inaccurate, however. The highlighted part in the Threads image appears on the website for the U.S. Probation Office for the Western District of Texas. Contrary to the post’s claim, the passage does not actually appear in the Texas Constitution. (RELATED: Did Donald Trump Oversee Record Low Unemployment For African Americans?)
The Constitution says, “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.” Trump can still run for president, as these are the only qualifications needed to become president, according to CNN.
Check Your Fact has contacted a spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
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