The lawsuit says officials failed to check for proof of citizenship that voters may have already provided the state.
Independent Texas reporting needs your support. Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you join our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount?Our reporting on all platforms will be truthful, transparent and respectful; our facts will be accurate, complete and fairly presented.
When we make a mistake — and from time to time, we will — we will work quickly to fully address the error, correcting it within the story, detailing the error on the story page and adding it to this running list of Tribune corrections. If you find an error, emailVoting rights groups are suing the Texas Secretary of State’s Office and some county election officials to prevent the removal of voters from the state’s voter roll based on use of a federal database to verify citizenship. They also claim the state failed to crosscheck its own records for proof of citizenship it already possessed before seeking to remove voters.Last fall, the Texas Secretary of State’s Office announced it had used a federal database newly overhauled by the Trump administration — a tool from the Department of Homeland Security previously used for years to verify the immigration status of individuals seeking benefits— to verify the citizenship of more than 18 million Texans on the state’s voter roll. The office said at the time it hadwhile obtaining a driver’s license or state ID at the Texas Department of Public Safety. At least one county later, filed in a federal district court in Austin Thursday, the plaintiffs said the database, known as SAVE, is unreliable, and that Texas’ use of it to remove people from the rolls, including some who are naturalized U.S. citizens, is a violation of the National Voter Registration Act. The plaintiffs said in the filing, which cited reporting by Votebeat and other news outlets, that the Secretary of State’s Office “did not consult Department of Public Safety data—a known source that could confirm citizenship for many registered voters—before placing the burden on the voter to provide documentary proof.”The nonprofit watchdog Campaign Legal Center filed the lawsuit on behalf of multiple voting rights and advocacy organizations, including the League of Latin American Citizens , Texas LULAC, LULAC Council 102, and nonpartisan advocacy group Common Cause and its members.The plaintiffs want the court to declare that the state’s removal of voters from the rolls using the SAVE database violates the National Voter Registration Act, and want the court to prohibit the Texas Secretary of State’s Office from sending lists of potential noncitizens to the counties without “further, uniform investigation,” the lawsuit says. They also asked the court to prohibit the state and county election officials from removing people from the voter roll “solely because they have been flagged as noncitizens by the SAVE system” and t order that anyone who was removed be placed back on the voter roll until “it can be conclusively proved that such voters are not currently U.S. citizens”.The state and county defendants have yet to file a response to the complaint. The Texas Secretary of State’s Office declined to comment Friday. At least one other lawsuit filed in federal court challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s use of the SAVE database is also still pending.Texas counties are looking into ‘potential noncitizens’ on voter rolls, and say DPS may have proof of citizenship for some Disclosure: Common Cause has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a completeTexans need the truth. Help us report it. Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible. Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount?Texans need the truth. Help us report it. Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible. Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount?Natalia Contreras covers election administration and voting access for Votebeat in partnership with The Texas Tribune. She has covered a range of topics as a community journalist including local government,...
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Film about right-wing takeover of Florida college gives clues about future of education in TexasTexas A&M University grabbed headlines earlier this year when is banned passages from Greek philosopher Plato for being too 'woke.' A documentary
Read more »
Trump defends voting by mail in Florida special election: ‘I was away’President Donald Trump defended voting by mail in Florida this week, despite calling for a ban on the practice nationwide.
Read more »
Trump defends voting by mail-in ballotBasic
Read more »
Texas measles cases surge as West Texas detention center outbreaks spreadHealth officials in West Texas have identified 147 confirmed measles cases this year, with the vast majority linked to regional detention facilities as of mid-March.
Read more »
How to Watch No. 1 Texas Longhorns Hosting No. 15 Texas A&M in Lone Star ShowdownThe Texas Longhorns dig in for a rivalry series against the Texas A&M Aggies.
Read more »
The voting bloc that could swing Maine's Senate race: From the Politics DeskPlus, the Iran war hits the one-month mark.
Read more »