AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating reports of organizations in Texas allegedly registering noncitizens to vote, his office announced Wednesday.
The Texas Attorney General’s Election Integrity Unity led undercover operations “to identify potential voter registration of noncitizens in Texas,” the release said.
Investigators said several nonprofit organizations set up outside Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License offices to help aid in voter registration for people visiting the offices.
In a statement from DPS Director Steve McCraw, he said due to the ongoing investigation, “all organizations are temporarily prohibited from operation on DPS property.”
Those gatherings “will require approval from the Director’s Office until further notice,” McCraw said.
“But all citizens have already been presented an opportunity to register to vote as part of the process of renewing or being issued an identification card or driver’s license, so there is no obvious need to assist citizens to register to vote outside DPS offices—calling into question the motives of the nonprofit groups,” Paxton’s office wrote in the release.
It’s illegal in Texas to lie about one’s citizenship while registering to vote or helping others register. Those found guilty of violating that law can face up to 180 days in a state jail as well as pay up to a $10,000 fine, the release added.
It’s also a crime to vote in Texas if a person is neither a U.S. citizen or a Texas resident, and it’s also illegal to help those who are neither a U.S. citizen or state resident to vote. Those found guilty of said charges can face up to a 20-year prison sentence and up to a $10,000 fine.