A contentious battle over voter verification emerges as Texas officials challenge federal authorities over citizenship status checks.
According to The Hill, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated legal action against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), claiming the agency failed to comply with federal requirements regarding voter citizenship verification requests.
The lawsuit stems from Texas's attempt to verify the citizenship status of approximately 450,000 registered voters who did not provide Texas-issued identification during registration. Paxton's office acknowledges many of these individuals are likely citizens, despite the lack of state-issued documentation.
Texas authorities set an October 19 deadline for DHS to assist in the verification process. In his statement, Paxton emphasized:
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.
The Texas Secretary of State joined Paxton's office in filing the lawsuit against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other Biden administration officials after the deadline passed without satisfactory response.
The DHS spokesperson detailed their established verification system, stating:
SAVE is the most secure and efficient way to verify an individual's citizenship or immigration status, including for verification regarding voter registration and/or voter list maintenance. By inputting an individual's name, unique DHS-issued immigration identifier, and birthdate, registered agencies can determine whether that person has obtained U.S. citizenship through the naturalization process or, for certain other individuals born abroad, whether USCIS has information confirming their U.S. citizenship.
Nearly 1,200 federal, state, and local municipalities currently utilize the SAVE system for verification purposes, demonstrating its widespread adoption since its 1986 implementation. DHS representatives maintained active communication with Texas officials through official channels, affirming their commitment to proper verification procedures.
Recent legislative efforts in the Republican-led House resulted in the passage of a bill aimed at explicitly banning noncitizens from voting in federal elections, though it faced obstacles in reaching the Senate floor.
House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced concerns about unauthorized voting in federal elections, though supporting evidence for such claims remains limited. His statements in May and July reflected the growing Republican focus on election integrity measures.
Democratic opposition emerged through representatives like Jennifer McClellan, who raised concerns about the potential discriminatory impact of strict identification requirements.
The legal dispute centers on Texas's request for federal assistance in verifying voter citizenship status, with state officials seeking confirmation for hundreds of thousands of registered voters.
The DHS maintains that its SAVE system provides the proper mechanism for such verification requests, while Texas officials argue for additional federal cooperation.
The conflict highlights ongoing tensions between state and federal authorities regarding election integrity measures, voter verification processes, and proper channels for interstate cooperation on voter eligibility confirmation.
