Governor Abbott Highlights Election Integrity with Voter Roll Cleanup

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the successful removal of over one million ineligible voters from the state’s voter rolls since the signing of Senate Bill 1 into law in 2021. The removal process, which is ongoing, targets individuals who have moved out of state, are deceased, or are noncitizens, among others.

Governor Abbott emphasized the importance of election integrity, stating, “I have signed the strongest election laws in the nation to protect the right to vote and to crack down on illegal voting.” He credited the removal of ineligible voters to the reforms introduced by Senate Bill 1 and other related legislation, which require the Secretary of State and county voter registrars to continually review and update voter rolls.

The cleanup process has led to the removal of over 1.1 million voters, including more than 6,500 noncitizens and over 457,000 deceased individuals. These efforts are part of Texas’ broader campaign to prevent illegal voting, which includes referring potential illegal voting cases to the Attorney General’s Office for investigation.

In addition to Senate Bill 1, Governor Abbott also signed House Bill 1243, which increases the penalty for illegal voting to a second-degree felony, and Senate Bill 1113, empowering the Secretary of State to withhold funds from counties that fail to remove noncitizens from voter rolls.