Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an email tipline where members of the public may report suspected violations of Texas election law. He also issued a legal advisory on election integrity, encouraging Texans to protect their vote.
“I invite all Texans to report suspected violations at our new tipline, illegalvoting@oag.texas.gov,” Paxton said in a press release on Wednesday.
“Your political liberties and your representation in our government depend on secure elections. I will fight every step of the way to protect your vote and your voice,” he stated.
With the approaching 2024 elections, Wednesday’s advisory is part of Paxton’s “Election Integrity Initiative which leverages OAG law enforcement authority and resources to protect the integrity of every legal vote.”
According to the advisory, “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.”
After including a definition of United States citizenship, the advisory clarifies election law, stating that only U.S. citizens and Texas residents can vote, harvesting votes is a felony, and misrepresenting a residence on election records or trying to influence the vote of a disabled voter is illegal.
Additionally, the election law guidance reminds Texans about their right to vote in secret, encourages reporting violations, and warns that electioneering activities by government officials are prohibited.
“There is nothing more important than the integrity of our elections. This means protecting every legal vote from unlawful attempts to alter the outcome of our elections,” Paxton stated.
He added, “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.”
Paxton’s illegal voting tipline and advisory comes after Secretary of State Jane Nelson’s election audit findings and Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent announcement about his ongoing efforts to clean voter rolls. As Texas Scorecard previously reported, Texas has removed over a million ineligible voters from voter rolls since 2021.
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