Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-Texas) announced on Wednesday that his office is investigating reports of organizations illegally registering non-citizens to vote ahead of the November election.
In a Wednesday press release, the Texas attorney general’s office wrote, “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into reports that organizations operating in Texas may be unlawfully registering noncitizens to vote in violation of state and federal law. “
The press release explained that investigators working with the Texas Attorney General’s Election Integrity Unit had conducted undercover operations to “identify potential voter registration of noncitizens” in the state. According to Paxton’s office, the undercover operations confirmed that multiple nonprofit organizations had operated booths offering residents assistance with voter registration outside the Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License offices.
Wednesday’s press release explained that all Texas citizens had “already been presented an opportunity to register to vote as part of the process of renewing or being issued an identification card or driver’s license.” As a result, the attorney general’s office said there was “no obvious need” for nonprofit groups to be offering to help citizens register to vote outside the Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License offices and questioned the motives behind the nonprofit group activity.
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Addressing the recent investigation, Paxton said, “Texans are deeply troubled by the possibility that organizations purporting to assist with voter registration are illegally registering noncitizens to vote in our elections. 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 his office was looking into “every credible report” pertaining to any criminal activity that could impact the integrity of the state’s November elections. He claimed that the Biden-Harris administration had “intentionally flooded our country with illegal aliens, and without proper safeguards, foreign nationals can illegally influence elections at the local, state, and national level.”
Paxton warned that it is a crime in Texas to register to either register to vote or vote in an election if an individual is not a U.S. citizen. He added that any violations would be “punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
Wednesday’s press release noted that lying about citizenship status during voter registration or helping someone else lie about their citizenship status while registering to vote is punishable by up to two years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. The press release also warned that an individual can be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines if they vote in Texas and are not a U.S. citizen.
