AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson said her office conducted a full comparison and citizenship verification of the state’s voter registration list through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ SAVE database.
During the review, the state identified more than 2,000 potential noncitizens registered to vote in Texas, according to Nelson.
“Only eligible United States citizens may participate in our elections,” Nelson said in a Monday news release. She said, in part, that having free and direct access to the data set has been a “game changer” to “verify the citizenship of those on our voter rolls and maintain accurate voter lists.”
The release said 2,724 potential noncitizens were identified as being registered to vote in Texas. According to the release, those files were provided to Texas counties, which will conduct their own investigations into the eligibility of those voters. Once that process is complete, those individuals deemed noncitizens who voted in a Texas election will be referred to the Office of the Attorney General.
Those identified as potential noncitizens will receive a notice from the county voter registrar and will have 30 days to provide proof of citizenship, the release said. If a response is not received by the county, the registration will be canceled.
“Everyone’s right to vote is sacred and must be protected,” Nelson said. “We encourage counties to conduct rigorous investigations to determine if any voter is ineligible, Nelson added.
Early voting runs from Oct. 20, through Oct. 31. Election Day is Nov. 4.