AUSTIN – The Texas Association of County Elec- tions Officials (TACEO) to day issued a statement con- firming that Texas's county election officials are diligent ly executing comprehensive, legally mandated list maintenance programs designed to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the state’s voter rolls.
This follows recent data presented by the Texas Secretary of State's of- fice concerning potential non-citizens and deceased individuals on the voter rolls.
“The foundation of Texas elections lies in accurate voter registration rolls, and our county election officials are committed to upholding that standard every single day,” said Rebecka LaCourse, Colorado County Election Administrator “The efforts being highlighted publicly are not extraordinary events; they are the result of the rigorous, continuous, and multi-layered processes that Texas law requires to protect the sanctity of the vote.”
The Mandate of List Maintenance
Voter registrars in all 254 Texas counties are required by Chapter 16 of the Texas Election Code and federal law (including the National Voter Registration Act) to maintain clean and current rolls through a variety of systematic processes. This work is performed year-round, pausing only during federally mandated moratorium periods before major elections.
Identifying Deceased Voters
The removal of deceased voters is a time-sensitive, ongoing process involving mandatory data crosschecks: • State Vital Records: County registrars receive weekly and monthly information from local registrars of death and the Texas Department of State Health Services (via the Secretary of State) regarding deceased residents 18 years of age or older.
• Court Records: Clerks of courts with probate juris- diction file abstracts of death with registrars upon receiving applications for wills, administrations, or heirship.
• Federal Data: The Secretary of State also obtains quarterly death information from the U.S. Social Securi- ty Administration (SSA).
A voter's registration is immediately canceled upon the conclusive determination of death from these reliable sources.
Verification
of Citizenship Status
In Texas, only U.S. citizens are eligible to register and vote. The process for investigating potential non-citizens is strictly governed by law and prioritizes due process for the voter: 1. Data Acquisition: The Secretary of State's office regularly obtains data from multiple sources, including the Department of Public Safety (DPS) records related to driver’s license or state ID applications where individu- als identified themselves as non-citizens, and the federal Systematic Alien Verifica - tion for Entitlements (SAVE) database.
2. Referral and Investiga- tion: Any individual flagged as a potential non-citizen is immediately referred to the county voter registrar for mandatory investigation.
3. Voter Notification: The county voter registrar is required to send a written Notice of Examination to the flagged voter.
4. Due Process: The voter is then given a minimum of 30 days to respond and provide proof of U.S. citizenship to the registrar.
5. Cancellation: Only if the voter fails to provide proof within the mandated period, or if the investigation conclusively confirms ineli gibility, is the voter registration canceled.
“This due process requirement is critical. It protects the voting rights of naturalized citizens who may have been mistakenly flagged or who may simply have outdated information in a state or federal database,” the Election Administrator, Rebecka LaCourse added.
"Our local officials follow the law precisely to ensure that we are removing the ineligible while fiercely pro - tecting every qualified Tex an’s right to vote.”
The TACEO urges all voters who receive official correspondence from their local voter registrar to respond promptly to maintain their current, active registration status.
