On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott bragged about the progress the state has made in refreshing the voter rolls since signing bills into law that increased penalties and restrictions around illegal voting.
To date, the state has passed the 1 million person removal mark in three years, with the numbers consisting of noncitizens, deceased people, voters on the suspense list, and others.
Noncitizens Emphasized
In an X post celebrating the milestone, Abbott emphasized how the state has removed thousands of noncitizens from the rolls, some of whom were found to have cast votes.
“Texas has removed over 1.1 million ineligible voters from our rolls. This includes more than 6,500 noncitizens. Almost 2,000 have cast votes,” wrote Abbott in an X Post. “They’re being referred to Attorney General @KenPaxtonTX for prosecution.”
Governor’s Office Announcment
On August 26, the governor’s office released a statement celebrating the milestone, marking the start of the journey at a previous bill Abbott signed.
“Governor Greg Abbott today announced that since signing Senate Bill 1 into law in 2021, Texas has removed over one million people from the state’s voter rolls, including people who moved out-of-state, are deceased, and are noncitizens. That removal process has been, and will continue to be, ongoing,” said the statement.
Senate Bill 1
Governor Abbott signed Senate Bill 1 into law in September 2021 over concerns about election integrity in the state.
“Senate Bill 1 ensures trust and confidence in our elections system — and most importantly, it makes it easier to vote and harder to cheat,” said Abbott at the time.
Abbott Brags
In comments about the recent 1.1 million voter milestone, Abbott affirmed his commitment to election integrity and bragged about his election laws which he sees as the strongest in the country.
“Election integrity is essential to our democracy,” said Abbott. “I have signed the strongest election laws in the nation to protect the right to vote and to crack down on illegal voting.”
Not Tolerated
Abbott in his statement made sure to emphasize that illegal voting has no place in Texas.
“Illegal voting in Texas will never be tolerated. We will continue to actively safeguard Texans’ sacred right to vote while also aggressively protecting our elections from illegal voting,” Abbott said.
By the Numbers
The governor’s office released a breakdown of the number of voters removed from the rolls based on the categories they fit into.
The largest group was 463,000 voters on the suspense list. This is a list of voters who either fail to mail in a registration certificate every two years or who the state suspects live at a different address than what their registration says.
Deceased Voters
The second largest group, 457,000 people, was represented by deceased voters.
The Texas government fact sheet did not specify if any of these people had cast votes in elections.
Change of Address
134,000 voters were taken off the rolls after responding to an address notice that confirmed they had moved.
The state also removed 65,000 voters “who failed to respond to a notice of examination.”
Lowest Figures
The lowest categories of removed voters include 19,000 who requested their registration canceled, 6,500 noncitizens, and 6,000 individuals who were illegible because of a felony conviction.
In Texas, residents convicted of a felony are barred from voting until they fully serve their sentence, parole, or probation period.
Supporting Abbott
Texas Rep. Cole Hefner, author of House Bill 1243 which increased illegal voting penalties, put out an X post in support of Abbott and the state’s efforts.
“In Texas, we take election security seriously. This action underscores our commitment to free, fair, and secure elections, ensuring that Texans’ voices are heard without interference from ineligible or fraudulent votes,” Hefner wrote.
Criticizing the Move
Critics of Abbott and the increased scrutiny around illegal voting feel like these actions are inspired by an effort to suppress voters to increase the political odds of winning.
“Texans … the voter suppression effort is underway. Check your registration and then tell ten people you know to check theirs. Don’t get a surprise on Election Day,” wrote an X user in response to Abbott’s post.
