Here's Why You Should Be Skeptical Of Texas' Allegations Of Voter Fraud

When Lisa Wise, the top election official in El Paso County, Texas, got a list of suspected noncitizens on her voter rolls, one name quickly stood out. It was the name of someone in her office who went to get a state ID a few years ago and recently became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

The data point underscores why many are skeptical about claims from Texas Secretary of State David Whitley (R) and Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) that 95,000 noncitizens may be on the voting rolls and that 58,000 of them voted in at least one election since 1996. Election officials, lawyers and experts said that number is likely inflated because of people who applied for drivers licenses when they were legal permanent residents and later became naturalized.

Whitleys office told county officials on Friday to investigate further, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) quickly seized on the numbers and claimed there was voter fraud in the state. On Sunday, President Donald Trump amplified the claims.

Sophia Lin Lakin, a staff attorney at the ACLUs voting rights project, said she suspected the quick claims of voter fraud were part of an effort to justify voting restrictions. Critics say requiring documentary proof of voting eligibility is unnecessary and is more likely to affect young people, who move around a lot, as well as the poor and minority voters who dont have access to the required documentation or the resources to get them to obtain them and take them to election officials. A bill to require people to prove their citizenship was filed in the Texas House of Representatives in November.

Wise said her office received about 4,100 names to investigate from the Secretary of States Office on Sunday evening. She said the Department of Public Safety (DPS), which maintains drivers license records, might have outdated records.

When you go to the DPS and you mark noncitizen, if you go through the naturalization ceremonies where were at and were promoting voter registration, which we did about 200 a year, youre not going back to DPS after that. Theyre not being notified.

58,000 non-citizens voted in Texas, with 95,000 non-citizens registered to vote. These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. All over the country, especially in California, voter fraud is rampant. Must be stopped. Strong voter ID! @foxandfriends

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58,000 non-citizens voted in Texas, with 95,000 non-citizens registered to vote. These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. All over the country, especially in California, voter fraud is rampant. Must be stopped. Strong voter ID! @foxandfriends
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2019

VOTER FRAUD ALERT: The @TXsecofstate discovered approx 95,000 individuals identified by DPS as non-U.S. citizens have a matching voter registration record in TX, approx 58,000 of whom have voted in TX elections. Any illegal vote deprives Americans of their voice.

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VOTER FRAUD ALERT: The @TXsecofstate discovered approx 95,000 individuals identified by DPS as non-U.S. citizens have a matching voter registration record in TX, approx 58,000 of whom have voted in TX elections. Any illegal vote deprives Americans of their voice.
Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) January 25, 2019

Wise said her office would take its time reviewing the records some of which dated back to the early 1970s to make sure they are accurate but said she anticipated many of the names provided by the Secretary of States Office were errors. She added that quick accusations of voter fraud were not helpful.

Thats inaccurate at this point. None of that has been proven. And I just dont want that to kind of lead whats going to happen, she said. When we start deciding something is voter fraud without proof, thats a real problem.

Sam Taylor, a Whitley spokesperson, did not return several requests for comment. He told The New York Times on Friday he didnt see a situation in which this would produce a false positive.