Paxton launches ‘illegal voting tipline,’ issues election advisory for voters

(The Center Square) – Following Florida, Texas launched a tipline for citizens to report concerns about alleged voter fraud.

Unlike Florida’s toll-free voter fraud hotline, Texas has launched an email tipline.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton encouraged members of the public to report suspected violations of Texas election law through an email tipline: illegalvoting@oag.texas.gov.

Ahead of the November election, Paxton also issued an advisory for voters to “protect your vote.”

The advisory is part of his office’s “election integrity initiative which leverages OAG law enforcement authority and resources to protect the integrity of every legal vote.”

He expressed similar concerns as Republican attorneys general in other states, saying, “Significant growth of the noncitizen population in Texas and a pattern of partisan efforts to illegally weaponize voter registration and the voting process to manipulate electoral outcomes have created urgent risks to local, state, and federal elections.”

The guidance was issued to clarify and emphasize key aspects of election law.

Citizens and governmental entities are encouraged to understand what the law says about registering to vote, the voting process, and other legal requirements. Violations of the Texas Election Code carries up to 20 years in prison and up to $10,000 worth of fines.

“There is nothing more important than the integrity of our elections,” Paxton said. “This means protecting every legal vote from unlawful attempts to alter the outcome of our elections. Any attempt to illegally cancel out legal ballots with fraud, vote harvesting, or other methods will be met with the full force of the law.”

The advisory states that only U.S. citizens and Texas residents can legally vote.

“It is a crime to vote in Texas if you are not a United States citizen and a Texas resident or to help someone vote who is not. You can be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and pay up to a $10,000 fine.

“It is a crime in Texas to lie about your citizenship when you register to vote or to help someone else do so. You can be sentenced to up to two years in a state jail and pay up to a $10,000 fine.”

It also explains the legal definition of citizenship and clarifies that citizenship is not based on “residing in the United States” or being “lawfully present” or “legally permitted to work in the United States.”

Being granted asylum or seeking asylum, being issued a Social Security number, a driver’s license or other state-issued identification card does not equate to citizenship, the advisory explains.

It also states that vote harvesting is a felony, misrepresenting a residence on election records, or establishing a residence for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election is illegal.

It also clarifies that influencing a disabled voter’s vote is illegal, and government officials are prohibited from engaging in electioneering, including public school officials from using public resources to support or endorse a candidate. Earlier this year, Paxton’s office sued several school districts after they allegedly used public resources to endorse or oppose candidates based on their support for school choice.

The advisory was issued after Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson issued advisories to counties about noncitizens voting and said her office would be helping oversee election processes in Harris County after multiple repeated irregularities have been reported in the last two election cycles.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced more than 1.1 million people were removed from Texas’ voter rolls, including 6,500 noncitizens who were registered to vote. Among them, 1,900 had a voting history and documentation was being provided to Paxton’s office for a criminal investigation.

Earlier this month, Paxton also announced that his office’s Election Integrity Unit had launched several election fraud investigations. Multiple search warrants were issued in Atascosa, Bexar and Frio counties.

An undercover operation was ongoing looking into organizations that “may be unlawfully registering noncitizens to vote” by setting up booths outside of Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License offices.

Paxton urged all Texans to report suspected violations through the email tipline.

“Your political liberties and your representation in our government depend on secure elections,” he said. “I will fight every step of the way to protect your vote and your voice.”