AG Paxton opens investigation into potential noncitizen voting during 2024 general election
AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday announced an investigation into the 33 potential noncitizens who may have voted in the 2024 general elections.
The move comes weeks after the voters were identified by Secretary of State Jane Nelson.
Around 11.3 million people voted in the November elections.
What we know:
Earlier this month, Nelson said her office was granted access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Database. The database was recently opened up for free to states under a March executive order from President Donald Trump.
By gaining access to the database, Nelson said her office was able to identify 33 names that may have voted as noncitizens. She referred those names to Paxton's office for investigation.
On Tuesday, Paxton announced he had opened investigations into all 33 potential noncitizens.
What they're saying:
"Noncitizens must not be allowed to influence American elections, and I will use the full weight of my office to investigate all voter fraud," Paxton said. "These potential instances of unlawful voting will be thoroughly investigated, and I will continue to stand with President Trump in fighting to ensure that our state’s elections are safe and secure."
Nelson called gaining access to the SAVE database a "gamechanger."
"Not only have we been able to identify individuals who should not have voted in the last election, we have also been able to confirm naturalization of dozens more," Nelson said in a statement earlier this month.
The announcement comes after Texas legislators failed to advance a bill that would have required documented proof of citizenship from voters.
Texans will still ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment affirming that only U.S. citizens are permitted to vote. That provision is already part of state law.
What we don't know:
Paxton did not release the names of those under investigation.
In an earlier release, Nelson did not identify which counties the suspected voters were from or how long they had been on voter rolls.
SAVE Database
SAVE is a database used by government agencies to verify immigration status of applicants seeking benefits or licenses.
The database is maintained by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The Source: Information about Paxton's investigation comes from a release from the attorney general's office. Information on Secretary of State Jane Nelson's access to the SAVE database comes from a release from her office. Information about the SAVE database comes from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.