Texas newspaper accuses Greg Abbott of “harming our democracy”

A Texas newspaper accused Governor Greg Abbott and other Republican politicians in the state of “harming our democracy” by claiming there was widespread voter fraud among overseas voters.

Voter fraud by noncitizens has become a national issue among Republicans, who claim without sufficient evidence that illegal immigrants are registering to vote this year. The Republican-led House of Representatives passed a bill in July, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, that requires voters registering to vote to provide documentary proof of their U.S. citizenship.

On Monday, Abbott announced that Texas has removed over 1 million people from the state's voter rolls since September 2021. The majority of those removed were deceased people (over 457,000) and voters who had been placed on the suspense list (over 463,000), a compilation of voters who may have moved since registering to vote.

More than 6,500 of the people removed from the voter rolls were non-citizens and, according to a The Dallas Morning News On Friday, about 1,300 of these noncitizens cast their votes. Although the number should actually be zero, since it is illegal for noncitizens to register to vote or participate in elections, the reported number is 0.1 percent of ineligible voters, which is statistically insignificant.

“Yes, voter lists must be checked and released regularly. But this inevitably leads to delays,” The Dallas Morning News', the editorial board wrote. “Raising concerns about the integrity of our electoral process actually harms our democracy.”

Newsweek reached out to Abbott's office via email on Saturday afternoon seeking comment.

Previously in the comment: The Dallas Morning News accused Abbott, as well as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (both Republicans), of “fueling confirmation bias among a voting base that now believes American elections will be stolen if their side loses,” an apparent reference to claims made without concrete evidence by members of the GOP that the 2020 presidential election was rigged to the detriment of then-President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Paxton launched an investigation last week into reports of possible illegal voter registration by foreign nationals.

Paxton's Election Integrity Unit has confirmed that nonprofits have offered to assist people with voter registration at Texas Department of Public Safety driver's license offices.

The Attorney General's Office considered an investigation necessary because all citizens are given the opportunity to register as voters when renewing or issuing an identity card or driving license.

“Texans are deeply concerned about the possibility that organizations claiming to help with voter registration are illegally registering non-citizens to vote in our elections,” Paxton said in an Aug. 21 press release. “If eligible citizens can legally register when they conduct their business at a DPS office, why do they need a second opportunity to register at a voting booth outside?”

Paxton's Election Integrity Unit also conducted several searches in Frio, Atascosa and Bexar counties as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of voter fraud and vote gerrymandering in the 2022 midterm elections, his office said last week.

Newsweek reached out to Paxton's office via email Saturday afternoon seeking comment.

Texas is the fifth most difficult state to vote in, according to Journal of Electoral LawSenate Bill 1, which Abbott signed in 2021, made lying on voter registration a state crime and required, among other things, random election audits every two years.