Ten weeks before the national election in November, Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that state officials had reviewed and removed over one million “ineligible” voters from the registration rolls. This total included “more than 6,500 noncitizens,” of which “almost 2,000 have cast votes.”
Diminishing Republican Leads
The move comes as Republican leads in many of the state and national races on the Texas ballot have diminished, though many Republican candidates remain favored to win.
Republican Concerns Over Election Integrity
Since the 2020 election, Republicans across the country have argued, and Democrats are engaged in ballot harvesting and other borderline illegal “get out the vote” efforts to win the election by any means possible.
Abbott and Paxton’s Coordinated Actions
Abbott’s actions, aligned with those of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, are aimed at unveiling the data that underscores Republicans’ accusations and overall feeling that the elections are not as fair and above board as they seem.
Illegal Voting Activity and Legal Consequences
In removing the ineligible voters from the voter rolls, Abbott stated that cases of illegal voting activity would be referred to Paxton’s office, where they may be persecuted.
Paxton’s Allegations on National Talk Show
Last week, Paxton joined Glenn Beck’s news talk show and stated that President Biden and Vice President Harris had undertaken efforts in the past to transport undocumented residents to different states to vote illegally in races where the vote counts could make the difference in who won the election.
Unverified Claims
This story has not been verified, and Paxton did not substantiate his claims with any evidence.
Paxton’s Message to Undocumented Immigrants
Paxton told the audience on Glenn Beck’s radio show, “This was the plan: Tell the cartels, ‘Get people here as fast as possible, as many as possible. We’re not going to make them hide anymore—we’ll get them placed in the right states. They want to fix the election so that we have a one-party country that we can’t fix.’
Federal Government’s Alleged Role
Paxton continued, “No one anticipated the federal government would work around laws to try to get illegals to vote. But here we are.” That’s why we have to send a message out from the states, “Hey illegals, this is not a free ride. If we catch you, we’re going to prosecute you.”
Abbott’s Latest Announcement on Voter Rolls
The latest announcement Tuesday from Abbott that over one million voters have been removed from the rolls due to ineligibility for a variety of reasons is the latest in a string of actions taken by the head of the Texas government to establish a line of argument for Democratic-led voter fraud.
Investigations Into Noncitizen Voter Registrations
In recent weeks, Paxton announced that he would investigate allegations that nonprofit groups were registering noncitizens to vote in Texas. He also authorized the search of offices and homes of Democratic party and campaign officials in three Texas counties.
Texas Lawsuit Against Biden Administration
Texas also sued the Biden Administration over a new Department of Homeland Security rule announced by President Biden in June that would allow undocumented immigrants married to a U.S. citizen to apply for legal status and ultimately offer pathway citizenship without being required to leave the country– as current immigration law dictates.
Election Monitors Sent to Harris County
Under Abbott and Paxton’s leadership, Texas officials will also send election monitors to Harris County, the most populous county in Texas. Harris County houses Houston, a city long targeted for investigations of widespread voter fraud. In many audits and investigations in the past years, no evidence of widespread fraud has been revealed.
Democratic Response to Republican Actions
In response to the multi-leveled efforts from Abbott and Paxton, Texas’s Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa claims Republican leaders are guilty of “fear tactics and misinformation to suppress voter turnout and cling to power, knowing that our movement for a blue Texas is gaining momentum every day.”
Hinojosa also accused Paxton and Abbott of using “secret police-like tactics to raid the homes of the elderly and Democratic strategists.”
