Tipsheet

Texas Sues Federal Government Over Citizenship Data on Potentially Ineligible Voters

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  October 24, 2024 8:30 AM

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas along with other members of the Biden-Harris administration for failing to respond to inquiries from state officials seeking to determine the citizenship status of people registered to vote. 

On October 7, Attorney General Paxton sent a letter demanding that the federal government fulfill its legal obligations by verifying the citizenship status of people who may be illegally registered to vote in Texas by October 19. Attached was a list of approximately 450,000 voters whose citizenship status has never been checked because they registered without a State of Texas-issued driver’s license or identification card. Federal law requires the federal government to provide that information and Attorney General Paxton’s letter formally triggered those obligations. While the majority of the voters on the list are likely citizens who are eligible to vote, Texans have no way of knowing whether or not any of the voters on the list are noncitizens who are ineligible to vote without additional information.

However, the Biden-Harris Administration has refused to comply with the law and has failed to supply Texas with the required information necessary to secure the integrity of Texas elections. The Texas Secretary of State has joined the Office of the Attorney General as a co-plaintiff. (Texas Attorney General's Office)

“The Biden-Harris Administration has refused to comply with federal law, presenting yet another obstacle for Texas to overcome in ensuring free and fair elections in our state,” Paxton said in a statement. “The law demands that they provide important information regarding the citizenship of nearly half a million potentially ineligible voters. Since the Biden-Harris Administration has chosen to ignore the law, I will see them in court.”