Texas Cross-Checks Flagged Voter List Against DPS Citizenship Records
Why It Matters
Texas officials are now running a statewide cross-check between a federal citizenship database and state driver’s license records to verify the citizenship status of thousands of registered voters — a step that county election administrators had previously been left to pursue on their own. The move has implications for how Texas manages its voter rolls and could influence similar processes in other states.
What Happened
The Texas Secretary of State’s Office is reviewing records for 2,724 registered voters who were flagged as potential noncitizens after the state compared its voter rolls against a federal database known as the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database. Elections Division Director Christina Adkins disclosed the cross-check during a meeting with county election administrators earlier this month.
The review was prompted after county election officials discovered that some flagged voters had already submitted proof of citizenship — such as a passport — when they registered through the Texas Department of Public Safety, which keeps copies of such documents on file. That disclosure revealed a gap in the state’s initial process: the Secretary of State’s Office had not checked DPS records before sending the list of potential noncitizens to counties in October.
Travis County’s experience helped drive the statewide expansion. Voter Registrar Celia Israel requested the state cross-check the county’s flagged individuals against DPS records. Of 97 people flagged in Travis County as potential noncitizens, 11 had already provided citizenship documentation to DPS. Travis County was the only jurisdiction that had made such a request before the state opted to extend the review to all 2,724 flagged voters.
By the Numbers
- 18 million+ — registered voters on the Texas voter roll checked against the SAVE database
- 2,724 — registered voters currently flagged as potential noncitizens under statewide review
- 97 — Travis County voters flagged as potential noncitizens in the initial county-level check
- 11 — Travis County flagged voters confirmed to have already provided citizenship proof to DPS
- 90 days — federal window before a federal election during which systematic voter roll maintenance is restricted
Why the Initial Check Was Skipped
Adkins said the state originally assumed cross-checking DPS records was unnecessary because DPS itself uses the SAVE database. “Initially, we didn’t think that there would be any kind of substantial difference, but obviously, we have found that there are some discrepancies,” she said during the county administrators’ meeting.
She attributed the discrepancies to several possible factors: recently naturalized citizens whose status had not yet been updated in SAVE, outdated information in the DPS system, or clerical errors. She characterized the affected voters as “a small fraction” of the total list. A practical obstacle also played a role — DPS must check each record manually, a time-consuming process that would have delayed sending lists to counties before the March 3 primary election deadline.
The Secretary of State’s Office declined to comment on why the DPS review is occurring now or how county officials will be directed to respond once findings are complete. Separately, the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed in a written statement that it is working with the Secretary of State’s Office to review driver’s license data related to voter citizenship verification and that such requests are being prioritized.
Legal and Legislative Backdrop
A federal lawsuit filed in March by voting rights organizations and affected Texas voters argues the state should have conducted the DPS cross-check before distributing the flagged list to counties. That case remains pending in federal court. Meanwhile, some counties have already removed flagged voters from the rolls after those individuals failed to respond to requests for citizenship documentation.
At a recent Texas House Elections Committee interim hearing, Travis County election officials told state lawmakers that cross-referencing SAVE results against DPS data should become a standard part of the process going forward — not an optional add-on. The discussion reflects growing state legislative interest in ensuring only U.S. citizens appear on voter rolls. Those debates are unfolding alongside a broader federal immigration enforcement environment that has affected how state and local governments approach citizenship documentation.
What’s Next
The Secretary of State’s Office has not announced a timeline for completing the DPS cross-check of all 2,724 flagged voters or indicated how counties will be instructed to update their rolls based on the results. County election officials and voting rights groups will likely monitor whether the findings prompt further removals or reinstatements of voters, as the pending federal lawsuit continues to move through the courts.