Texas SOS identifies nearly 3,000 noncitizens on voter rolls

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(The Center Square ) – The Texas Secretary of State has identified an additional nearly 3,000 noncitizens on voter rolls statewide. 

The findings were announced after the SOS completed comparing state voter registration information with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database. 

“Only eligible United States citizens may participate in our elections,” Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson said. “The Trump Administration’s decision to give states free and direct access to this data set for the first time has been a game changer, and we appreciate the partnership with the federal government to verify the citizenship of those on our voter rolls and maintain accurate voter lists.”

Texas SOS staff compared more than 18 million registered Texas voters’ information with the SAVE database. 

The SAVE database is not exhaustive. However, 2,724 potential noncitizens were identified in it who were registered to vote in Texas.  

The SOS published the data by county, which shows that many of Texas’ 254 counties had zero registered voters whose information was in the SAVE database. 

The majority were found in the largest counties: Harris (362), Dallas (277), Bexar (201), El Paso (165), Tarrant (145), Collin (109), Travis (97) and Denton (84).

The SOS provided the 2,724 voter files to county registrars last week, Nelson said. They are now tasked with conducting their own investigations to determine voter eligibility, “as part of their statutory responsibilities to remove ineligible voters from the rolls under Chapter 16 of the Texas Election Code,” she said. 

“Once that process is complete, individuals who are deemed noncitizens that voted in a Texas election will be referred to the Office of the Attorney General,” Nelson said.

The SOS analysis began earlier this year, after the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security made available the SAVE database to state governments to check their voter rolls to determine if any illegal foreign nationals were illegally registered or voted in their states.

The Biden administration had denied states access to the SOS database contrary to federal law, prompting Texas and 16 states to sue for access. 

“Everyone’s right to vote is sacred and must be protected. We encourage counties to conduct rigorous investigations to determine if any voter is ineligible — just as they do with any other data set we provide,” Nelson said. “The SAVE database has proven to be a critically important data set and one of many that we will continue to use in Texas to ensure that only qualified voters cast a ballot in our elections.”

Texas was among the first to partner with USCIS. An initial review focused on those who might have illegally voted in the November 2024 election resulting in 33 referrals to the OAG, The Center Square reported.

This was after Texas removed 6,500 noncitizens from its voter rolls last year and requested information on noncitizens from DHS/USCIS, The Center Square reported. This included a list of 454,289 registered voters in Texas “who have never had their citizenship verified.” Texas didn’t receive the requested information.

Six months after the latest request and under a new administration, the SAVE database was made available to all states.

This year, the Texas legislature passed resolutions to add 17 constitutional amendments to the ballot, including one that clarifies only U.S. citizens can vote in Texas. 

On the ballot is Proposition 16 (SJR 37): "The constitutional amendment clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen."

The Texas Legislative Council has published an analysis of each proposed constitutional amendment available to the public for free online. 

Early voting is underway through Oct. 31. Election Day is Nov. 4.