Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other members of the Biden-Harris Administration, accusing them of failing to comply with federal laws that require the verification of citizenship status for potentially ineligible voters. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the State of Texas, claims that the federal government has neglected its obligation to assist the state in ensuring that only eligible citizens are registered to vote.
The legal action follows a letter sent by Attorney General Paxton on October 7, in which he demanded that the federal government provide information to verify the citizenship status of voters whose eligibility had not been confirmed. The letter included a list of approximately 450,000 registered voters whose citizenship status was never verified, as they registered without a state-issued driver's license or identification card. Under federal law, the government is required to supply this information when requested by states to ensure the integrity of voter rolls.
Click here to read the entire lawsuit.
While most of the voters on the list are likely U.S. citizens, Paxton emphasized that the state has no way of confirming their eligibility without federal assistance. The lawsuit claims the Biden Administration’s refusal to comply with the law leaves the state unable to ensure that ineligible non-citizens are not participating in elections.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has refused to comply with federal law, presenting yet another obstacle for Texas to overcome in ensuring free and fair elections in our state,” said Paxton in a statement. “The law demands that they provide important information regarding the citizenship of nearly half a million potentially ineligible voters. Since the Biden-Harris Administration has chosen to ignore the law, I will see them in court.”
The Texas Secretary of State has joined the Office of the Attorney General as a co-plaintiff in the case, reinforcing the state’s stance that the federal government’s inaction jeopardizes the integrity of its elections.