Days after officers acting on behalf of the Texas attorney general raided the homes of Democratic activists and a Latina candidate for the State House, Gov.
Greg Abbott promoted his efforts to clear the voter rolls of those who did not belong there.
Mr. Abbott, a Republican, said that more than 1.1 million voters had been purged from the list of eligible voters since September 2021, when he signed an election integrity bill into law that Texas Democrats had warned could prevent many eligible people from casting votes.
Officials said the removals were part of the state’s routine maintenance of the voter rolls, ensuring that those who have died or are no longer living at their registered address are removed.
But the timing of the announcement from the Republican governor on Monday raised concern among Democratic officials and voting rights advocates, who feared a coordinated effort by top Republican leaders to intimidate voters and tamp down on Democratic efforts to increase registrations ahead of the November vote.
“The message is we’re going to do everything we can to discourage voting in Texas,” said Mike Doyle, the chair of the Democratic Party in Harris County, which includes Houston.
“Why else would you announce this as a big victory?
This is supposed to be a routine accuracy check that has been going on forever.”
A few days after Democratic activists and a Latina candidate for the State House were targeted by law enforcement on behalf of the Texas attorney general, Gov. Greg Abbott advertised his attempts to remove illegitimate voters from the voter rolls.
Hey, Mr. Since September 2021, when he signed an election integrity bill into law that Texas Democrats had warned could prohibit many eligible people from casting ballots, Abbott, a Republican, claimed that more than 11 million voters had been removed from the list of eligible voters.
As part of the state’s regular maintenance of the voter rolls, officials said that the removals were carried out to make sure that individuals who had passed away or were no longer residing at their registered address. However, Democratic officials and voting rights advocates expressed concern about the timing of the Republican governor’s announcement on Monday. They feared that top Republican leaders were coordinating an effort to intimidate voters and stifle Democratic efforts to increase voter registration ahead of the November election.
Mike Doyle, chair of the Democratic Party in Harris County, which includes Houston, stated, “The message is we’re going to do everything we can to discourage voting in Texas.”. This should be a routine accuracy check that has been going on forever, so why are you calling it a big victory? “.
