Several Republican lawmakers have filed bills requiring proof of United States citizenship as part of the voter registration process. These bills have been filed in advance of the upcoming 89th Texas Legislative Session, which begins on January 14.
The first of these bills to be filed was House Bill 219, also known as the “Verified Citizen Voting Act,” by State Representative Brooks Landgraf of Odessa.
In a statement about his legislation, Landgraf remarked, “Voting is one of our most fundamental rights as Americans, and it must be protected. The Verified Citizen Voting Act will give Texans peace of mind that their votes are not being diluted by ineligible voters, protecting our elections from potential abuse and preserving the integrity of every ballot cast.”
Landgraf added, “Election integrity depends on the trust we place in our voting system, and ensuring only eligible voters can register is essential to that trust. If U.S. citizenship is a requirement to vote, it makes perfect sense to require proof that they comply with the requirement.”
House Bill 219 would require an individual who submits a voter registration application also to submit proof of citizenship to be added to the voter roll. Similar legislation has also been filed by Republican State Representatives Briscoe Cain, Mike Schofield, Jeff Leach, Hillary Hickland, and State Senator Bryan Hughes.
A statement released by the Texas Secretary of State’s office in August discussed procedures that are currently in place to remove noncitizens from the voter roll.
“The Secretary of State’s Office regularly obtains data from the Department of Public Safety (DPS) on noncitizens and compares it to the statewide voter registration database. The Secretary’s Office also receives information from Texas courts about people who have been excused or disqualified from jury duty because of noncitizenship. The Secretary of State uses this data to identify potential noncitizens and sends these records to county voter registrars to investigate the voter’s eligibility. Those who are determined to be ineligible or who fail to respond within the allotted time are removed from the voter roll. In the last three years since SB 1 was signed into law, thousands of noncitizens have been removed from the voter roll.
County voter registrars are also required to review their voter registration records and send notices to any voter who the registrar reasonably believes is not eligible for registration, including due to noncitizenship. Any Texan can challenge a voter’s registration due to lack of U.S. citizenship by filing a sworn statement with the county registrar. A challenge results in a hearing and cancellation of the voter’s registration if the voter cannot produce adequate proof of citizenship. If a registrar determines that a person on the voter rolls, including a noncitizen, is ineligible to vote, they must report it to the Attorney General and the Secretary of State within 72 hours,” said the Secretary of State’s office in the statement.
