AUSTIN — Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson has referred the names of 33 individuals suspected of voting illegally in the November 2024 General Election to the Office of the Attorney General for investigation. The referrals mark the first major action stemming from Texas’ recent access to a federal immigration database designed to verify citizenship status.
The move follows Texas’ enrollment in a federal pilot program using the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) database. The database allows election officials to check whether individuals are lawfully present in the United States or have become naturalized citizens.
“Gaining access to this database has been a game-changer,” Secretary Nelson said in a statement. “Not only have we been able to identify individuals who should not have voted in the last election, we have also been able to confirm naturalization of dozens more.”
The SAVE database became available to states after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March 2025 on election integrity, mandating the Department of Homeland Security to provide free access to the tool for all 50 states. Texas, which had lobbied for access since early 2024, was among the first to join the pilot program and is currently collaborating with DHS, USCIS, and the Department of Justice’s Office of General Elections to refine the system’s functionality.
“We are in the early stages of this pilot program, but we already see promising results,” Nelson said. “This may be the most current and accurate data set available for citizenship verification.”
Legal and Political Implications
Under Texas Election Code Sec. 11.002, citizenship is a legal requirement for voting. While this is already established in statute, voters will be asked in November to ratify Senate Joint Resolution 37, which would enshrine the citizenship requirement in the Texas Constitution.
By law, the Secretary of State must refer any potential violations of the Election Code to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, which is authorized to investigate and prosecute voter fraud.
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office is expected to review the evidence and determine whether criminal charges will be filed against any of the 33 referred individuals.
National Context: Other States Also Taking Action
Texas is not alone in its efforts to use federal resources to verify voter eligibility:
- Florida: In 2023, Florida removed more than 200 individuals from its voter rolls after comparing state databases with immigration records. The state also opened investigations into 20 alleged illegal voters, some of whom were later prosecuted under a new Office of Election Crimes and Security.
- Georgia: Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger initiated a partnership with DHS in late 2024 to vet voter registration lists, resulting in the identification of 1,600 potentially ineligible registrants. These cases are currently under review.
- Arizona: In 2023, the state passed legislation requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. Although challenged in court, the measure prompted officials to begin enhanced screening of registered voters through federal databases.
- Ohio: After receiving SAVE access in early 2025, the Ohio Secretary of State announced an initiative to audit voter rolls and flagged 75 potential noncitizen voters, now under review by the state attorney general.
Critics and Supporters Clash
Supporters argue that the use of the SAVE database ensures election integrity and upholds the rule of law. Opponents, however, warn of potential false positives, noting that SAVE is not designed specifically for voter verification and that mistakes could disenfranchise naturalized citizens.
Civil rights groups have called for transparency in how matches are made and have urged states to establish robust appeal processes to protect lawful voters from wrongful removal.
Nevertheless, Texas officials remain firm.
“We have a duty to protect the integrity of the vote,” Secretary Nelson said. “This is about ensuring that only eligible citizens participate in our democratic process.”
As the pilot program expands, more states are expected to follow suit, potentially setting a new national standard for voter eligibility verification ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
For more information, visit: www.sos.texas.gov
To read the executive order establishing SAVE access, visit: whitehouse.gov
Contact the Texas Secretary of State’s Press Office: (512) 463-2050 or Communications@sos.texas.gov
