Texas moves to restore voters mistakenly flagged as non-citizens

After a review of Texas Department of Public Safety files, the Secretary of State’s Office instructed county election officials to restore the voting rights of individuals mistakenly identified as potential non-citizens by the federal SAVE program. Christina Adkins, the state elections director, said the review confirmed citizenship for a portion of the 2,724 flagged registrants, though the exact number remains unknown.

The state plans to send DPS verification documents to registrars in the coming days, enabling immediate reinstatement without further action from the voters. While acknowledging that SAVE can produce erroneous matches, Adkins noted that most of its data aligned with DPS records. County officials, represented by Kristin Miles, affirmed they will follow Texas law to ensure only eligible citizens remain on the rolls. The issue stems from a December decision not to cross-check the SAVE list with DPS records, which prompted a lawsuit that is still pending in federal court.