Texas Sends Voter Rolls to Justice Department to Check for Ineligible Registrations

Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed Monday that the state has forwarded its voter registration records to the U.S. Department of Justice to verify the eligibility of registered voters, emphasizing that “only US citizens can vote in Texas.”

The governor announced the action on social media platform X, noting that Texas had sent the voter rolls to federal authorities last month as part of ongoing efforts to ensure election integrity in the state.

This move follows an October announcement by Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson that a cross-check of state voter records had identified more than 2,700 possible non-citizens registered on voter rolls, prompting an eligibility review across all 254 Texas counties.

“We want our voter rolls to be checked for potential ineligible registrations,” Abbott stated in his post.

The action places Texas among at least seven states that have shared voter information with the federal government, according to tracking by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University.

The decision comes amid growing tension between state election officials and federal authorities over voter roll maintenance. Federal officials have increasingly pressured states on compliance issues, arguing that transparency around registration lists is essential to maintaining accurate records and ensuring voter confidence in election outcomes.

However, the sharing of voter data has become a contentious partisan issue. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin recently stated that Democrats are prepared to pursue legal action against states that share voter information with the DOJ. Democrats argue that such data sharing potentially violates federal election law, raises privacy concerns, and risks purging eligible voters from registration lists.

The dispute escalated in December when the Justice Department filed lawsuits against six Democratic-led states—Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington—accusing them of violating federal law by refusing to provide statewide voter registration rolls upon request.

Texas’ decision to voluntarily share its voter data with federal authorities puts the state in stark contrast with these Democratic-led jurisdictions that have resisted federal requests.

Maintaining accurate voter rolls has become an increasingly significant issue in American politics, with Republicans generally pushing for stricter verification measures to prevent potential fraud, while Democrats often express concern that aggressive purging efforts could disenfranchise legitimate voters, particularly those from minority communities.

For Texas, which has implemented numerous election security measures in recent years, the review of voter rolls represents another step in the state’s efforts to ensure only eligible citizens participate in elections. The state’s large border with Mexico and significant immigrant population have made voter eligibility verification a particularly prominent issue for Texas officials.

The Justice Department has not yet publicly commented on how it will use the Texas voter data or when any findings might be released. The review process could potentially identify individuals who may be registered to vote despite being ineligible, though the accuracy of such cross-checks has been debated by election experts.

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, the issue of voter roll maintenance is likely to remain at the forefront of election administration debates, with Texas now positioned as a key test case for cooperation between state and federal authorities on voter eligibility verification efforts.