Nearly three dozen “potential noncitizens” have been referred for investigation after casting ballots in Texas’ 2024 elections, the state’s elections chief announced Thursday.
According to a press release from the office of Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, the 33 individuals whose citizenship remains in question are recorded as having voted in the Lone Star State’s 2024 November general election. Their names have since been given to the state attorney general’s office for further investigation.
The discovery, according to the release, was made after Texas was given access to the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE database. As described by the federal agency, SAVE is “an online service for registered federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local government agencies to verify immigration status and naturalized/acquired U.S. citizenship of applicants seeking benefits or licenses.”
The system was made available to states after President Trump issued an elections-related executive order in March, which, in part, directed the DHS to “share database information with States upon request so they can fulfill” their duties of “maintain[ing] an accurate and current Statewide list of every legally registered voter in the State.”
“Gaining access to this database has been a game-changer. Not only have we been able to identify individuals who should not have voted in the last election, we have also been able to confirm naturalization of dozens more,” Nelson said in a statement.
[RELATED: The Left Says It Doesn’t Happen, But Noncitizens Voted In Iowa’s Election]
Texas law currently requires all “qualified voters” to be U.S. citizens in order to cast a ballot in any given election. A resolution specifying that “persons who are not citizens of the United States” cannot vote in Texas elections will appear as a constitutional amendment proposal on the Lone Star State’s November 2025 ballot.
Thursday’s announcement comes shortly after Texas House Republicans failed to pass a bill before the end of the state’s 2025 legislative session that sought to require residents to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The state House is run by liberal GOP Speaker Dustin Burrows, who was promoted to the position with the help of Texas Democrats.
Nelson’s Thursday referrals mark the latest action taken by leading Texas Republicans to secure the state’s elections from wrongdoing. Last month, state Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office indicted six residents in a probe over allegations of unlawful ballot harvesting activity.
For more election news and updates, visit electionbriefing.com.
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