Full Breakdown
Texas Refers 117 Potential Noncitizen Voter Cases as Seven Individuals Charged with Illegal Voting
By Drooid · · How we work
Background & Context
In 2025 Texas joined a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services pilot that lets states use the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to verify voter-list citizenship. The Secretary of State’s Office compared the state’s voter roll of more than 18 million registrations with SAVE, initially flagging 2,724 names as possible noncitizens. County registrars later investigated those names, confirming that many were U.S. citizens and that 506 of the flagged records lacked passport data in SAVE at the time of the first check.
Core Event: Referral and Criminal Charges
On Tuesday the Texas Secretary of State’s Office sent 117 of the remaining cases to the Texas Attorney General for further investigation. The referrals are not tied to any specific election but are part of an ongoing review ahead of the Nov. 3 election. In a separate action, federal and state prosecutors announced charges against seven people in Tarrant County for voting in federal elections while not being eligible citizens. The charges resulted from a joint effort by the Texas Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, the FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Data & Statistics
- Voter roll: >18 million registrations.
- Initial SAVE match: 2,724 potential noncitizens.
- Citizens confirmed after further review: 578 (including 506 flagged due to missing passport data).
- Cases referred for investigation: 117.
- Individuals charged with illegal voting: 7.
Official Statements & Responses
Secretary of State Robert Howden emphasized the constitutional requirement that voters be citizens and described the referrals as a “due-diligence” step to protect both eligible voters and the integrity of the roll. The Attorney General’s Office indicated it will determine what further investigation is warranted in the 117 referred cases.
Verbatim Quotes
- “By law and according to our Constitution, citizenship is a requirement to vote in Texas, and we have a duty to ensure that only eligible voters participate in our elections,” — The Texas Secretary, of State Robert Howden