HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) \u2014 Texas has identified more than 2,700 registered voters who are not American citizens, the state announced Monday.<\/p>\n
State Secretary Jane Nelson said in a press release<\/a> her office has determined that 2,724 of Texas\u2019s 18 million voters are noncitizens.<\/p>\n Last week, the office gave files on the people in question to Texas counties, which will conduct investigations into the voters’ eligibility, Nelson noted. Voters who are noncitizens will be referred to the state attorney general\u2019s office.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone\u2019s right to vote is sacred and must be protected. We encourage counties to conduct rigorous investigations to determine if any voter is ineligible \u2014 just as they do with any other data set we provide,\u201d the state secretary said.<\/p>\n Texas law requires county voter registrars to send a notice to each person identified as a noncitizen before canceling their registration. The county must receive a response within 30 days, after which point it can cancel the registration.<\/p>\n Texas compared its list of voters with a federal government database, which the state called a \u201ccritically important\u201d set it will continue to use. Nelson noted Texas was among the first states to partner with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services<\/a> to use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements data.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly eligible United States citizens may participate in our elections,\u201d the state secretary said. <\/p>\n \u201cThe Trump Administration\u2019s decision to give states free and direct access to this data set for the first time has been a game changer, and we appreciate the partnership with the federal government to verify the citizenship of those on our voter rolls and maintain accurate voter lists.\u201d<\/p>\n The cancelation of voter registrations<\/a> has previously caused concern among some lawmakers. Earlier this year, most U.S. House Democrats voted against the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act, which would require states to remove noncitizens from voter lists. The bill also requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections, although noncitizens are already barred from voting.<\/p>\n The Texas Democratic Party said in April that the bill, which passed the House, represented the \u201clatest chapter in a long history of regressive politics aimed at restricting our freedoms.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re no strangers to attempts to undermine the right to vote. Since our founding, there have always been those who try to divide us through fear and misinformation,” Chairman Kendall Scudder said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m all for solving problems \u2013 the only issue is, one doesn\u2019t exist here.\u201d<\/p>\n He noted that millions of Americans could lose their “right to vote” if the SAVE Act is signed into law.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve worked hard to make it easier for working folks to legally cast their ballots, not more difficult,” Scudder said.<\/p>\n