The Office Of The Texas Secretary Of State (Sos) Has Discovered Troubling Figures — Roughly 95,000 Individuals Identified As Non-u.s. Citizens By The Texas Department Of Public Safety (Dps) Are Registered To Vote And, 58,000 Of Those, 61 Percent, Voted At Least Once, Says Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“Every single instance of illegal voting threatens democracy in our state and deprives individual Texans of their voice,” said Paxton in a prepared statement released late Friday afternoon. “We’re honored to have partnered with the Texas Secretary of State’s office in the past on voter initiatives and we will spare no effort in assisting with these troubling cases. My Election Fraud Unit stands ready to investigate and prosecute crimes against the democratic process when needed.”
Paxton said Texas SOS David Whitley provided this information to him this week. “Nothing is more vital to preserving our Constitution than the integrity of our voting process, and my office will do everything within its abilities to solidify trust in every election in the state of Texas,” added Paxton. “I applaud Secretary of State Whitley for his proactive work in safeguarding our elections.”
The AG underscored his office has “obtained a number of successful noncitizen voter fraud convictions,” including Rosa Ortega in Tarrant County, Laura Garza in Montgomery County, and Marites Curry in Navarro County.
In 2017, Texas tried Ortega, a Mexican national, for voting illegally in elections over a decade. She falsely claimed U.S. citizenship and voted as a Republican at least five times in Dallas County. This included the November 2012 general election and a May 2014 primary run-off. During her trial, Ortega said she thought she was an American citizen when she was only a U.S. legal permanent resident, which rendered her ineligible to vote. A judge sentenced her to eight years in prison for “illegal voting” under Texas law. – READ MORE