The Impact of Senate Bill 1 on Voter Rolls in Texas
Since the implementation of Senate Bill 1 in 2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently announced that over 1 million ineligible voters have been removed from the state’s voter rolls. This significant number includes individuals who have moved out of state, passed away, or were found to be non-citizens.
In a social media post, Gov. Abbott emphasized the importance of election integrity, stating that he has signed robust election laws to safeguard the voting rights and combat illegal voting practices in the state. The reforms have resulted in the removal of over a million ineligible individuals from the voter rolls in the past three years.
Here is a breakdown of the categories of individuals who have been removed from the voter rolls:
- Non-citizens: 6,500+
- Voters with felony convictions: 6,000+
- Deceased individuals: 457,000+
- Voters on the suspense list: 463,000+
- Voters who confirmed their relocation: 134,000+
- Voters who failed to respond to examination notices: 65,000+
- Voters who requested to cancel their registration: 19,000+
Gov. Abbott highlighted that out of the non-citizens removed from the voter rolls, almost 2,000 had a history of voting. These cases are being referred to the Texas Attorney General’s Office for further investigation.
As the early voting period for the upcoming November general election approaches, concerns about election integrity have been raised by some state leaders. However, others have expressed confidence in the effectiveness of Texas’ voter registration systems.
According to Rep. Mano DeAyala, “We want our voters and residents in Texas to understand that we have the highest standards in place.” The election director of the Secretary of State’s Office, Christina Adkins, reiterated the state’s commitment to maintaining accurate and clean voter rolls.
Despite some social media speculation, the Secretary of State Office clarified that there has not been a recent surge in non-citizen voter registrations. Adkins assured that the data analysis conducted regularly has not revealed any unusual activity.
Additionally, the state presented the findings of an audit from the previous election cycle, highlighting improvements in Harris County’s election administration processes. The Secretary of State Office acknowledged that Harris County has made significant strides, particularly since the responsibilities are now under the County Clerk’s Office.
Overall, the efforts to enhance election integrity and ensure the accuracy of voter rolls continue to be a top priority in Texas.