{"id":1951939,"date":"2023-06-20T14:04:04","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T18:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-abbott-signs-bill-allowing-texas-to-withdraw-from-leftist-controlled-voter-roll-maintenance-group-eric\/"},"modified":"2023-06-20T14:05:34","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T18:05:34","slug":"gov-abbott-signs-bill-allowing-texas-to-withdraw-from-leftist-controlled-voter-roll-maintenance-group-eric","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-abbott-signs-bill-allowing-texas-to-withdraw-from-leftist-controlled-voter-roll-maintenance-group-eric\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov. Abbott approves bill for Texas to exit ERIC, a leftist-controlled voter roll &#8216;maintenance&#8217; group."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgov-abbott-signs-bill-allowing-texas-to-withdraw-from-leftist-controlled-voter-roll-maintenance-group-eric%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1951939&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<div>\n<figure>\n    <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Republican Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Legislation to Withdraw Texas from ERIC<\/h2>\n<p>Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation on Sunday permitting Texas to withdraw from the leftist-controlled voter-roll management group known as ERIC.<\/p>\n<p>As The Federalist previously reported, the Electronic Registration Information Center, or <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/11\/democratic-operatives-control-voter-rolls-in-31-states-report-shows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ERIC<\/a>, is a widely used voter-roll management organization founded by Democrat activist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/david-becker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David Becker<\/a> that was \u201csold to states as a quick and easy way to update their voter rolls.\u201d In actuality, ERIC <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/11\/democratic-operatives-control-voter-rolls-in-31-states-report-shows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">inflates voter rolls<\/a> by requiring member states to contact eligible but unregistered residents and encouraging them to register to vote.<\/p>\n<p>Passed by the state legislature last month, <a href=\"https:\/\/capitol.texas.gov\/BillLookup\/History.aspx?LegSess=88R&#038;Bill=SB1070\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SB 1070<\/a> allows Texas to \u201cidentify and contract with the provider of a private sector data system to identify voters \u2026 whose addresses have changed,\u201d \u201cwho are registered to vote in more than one state,\u201d \u201cwho are deceased\u201d and who are not qualified to vote under state law. As noted in the bill, Texas is required to \u201ccooperate with other states and jurisdictions to develop systems\u201d that clean its voter rolls. SB 1070 would permit Texas to contract with a separate private sector data system instead of ERIC, which according to its <a href=\"https:\/\/ericstates.org\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a>, is \u201cfunded and governed by states that choose to join.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/texas.votebeat.org\/2023\/5\/23\/23735275\/texas-eric-withdrawal-voter-roll-program-election-integrity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Votebeat Texas<\/a>, the state\u2019s ERIC membership costs Texan taxpayers about $1.5 million, with roughly $115,000 of those funds going towards \u201cannual fees to use ERIC\u2019s voter-matching data\u201d and the rest set aside for \u201cpaying for postage, mailing, and printing costs to send notices to residents ERIC identifies as eligible voters who are not yet registered.\u201d States are required to undertake the latter effort as part of their ERIC membership, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>SB 1070 is set to take effect on Sept. 1.<\/p>\n<p>Ken Blackwell, the chair of the America First Policy Institute\u2019s Center for Election Integrity, released a <a href=\"https:\/\/americafirstpolicy.com\/latest\/statement-ken-blackwell-on-texass-withdrawal-from-eric\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a> on Monday celebrating Abbott\u2019s signing of the bill and noting how \u201cERIC should continue to raise serious concerns for any state still using it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cERIC was initially sold as a non-partisan data system to clean voter rolls. However, it has been transformed into a system that lacks transparency, compromises voter information, and focuses on states registering voters rather than cleaning voter rolls,\u201d Blackwell said. \u201cWith Texas joining seven other states around the country and leaving ERIC, Secretaries of State who are still members of the system should conduct an immediate review of ERIC\u2019s effectiveness and validity for their states and voters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>ERIC\u2019s problems go far beyond inflating voter rolls, however. In fact, the organization enjoys an active relationship with the Center for Election Innovation and Research (<a href=\"https:\/\/electioninnovation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CEIR<\/a>), another Becker-founded group to which ERIC transmits the voter roll data it receives from states. Upon <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/05\/12\/virginia-to-exit-leftist-controlled-voter-roll-maintenance-group-eric\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">receiving<\/a> the data from ERIC, CEIR \u201cthen develops targeted mailing lists and sends them back to the states to use for voter registration outreach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In other words, CEIR is creating lists of potential (and likely Democrat) voters for states to register in the lead-up to major elections.<\/p>\n<p>For context, CEIR is one of the two nonprofits (along with the Center for Tech and Civic Life) that received tens of millions of dollars from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg leading up to the 2020 election. These grants were poured into local election offices throughout the country to push Democrat-backed voting practices, such as mass mail-in voting and the widespread use of ballot drop boxes. <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/10\/12\/the-2020-election-wasnt-stolen-it-was-bought-by-mark-zuckerberg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Analysis<\/a> shows these \u201cZuckbucks\u201d were heavily skewed toward Democrat municipalities, especially in swing states, effectively making it a Democrat get-out-the-vote operation.<\/p>\n<p>Other states to withdraw from ERIC earlier this year include <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/05\/12\/virginia-to-exit-leftist-controlled-voter-roll-maintenance-group-eric\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Virginia<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/03\/06\/florida-missouri-and-west-virginia-withdraw-from-leftist-controlled-voter-roll-maintenance-group-eric\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">West Virginia, Florida, Missouri<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/03\/20\/ohio-iowa-withdraw-from-democrat-operative-controlled-voter-roll-maintenance-group-eric\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ohio, and Iowa<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/11\/21\/alabama-withdraws-from-democrat-operative-controlled-voter-registration-database\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alabama<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos.la.gov\/OurOffice\/PublishedDocuments\/FINAL%20VERSION-1.27.22%20ERIC%20PR.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Louisiana<\/a> announced their respective departures from the organization last year.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3>About the Author<\/h3>\n<p>Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter <strong>@ShawnFleetwood<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill allowing Texas to exit ERIC, a voter-roll management group led by Democrats. ERIC, founded by Democrat activist David Becker, promised states a convenient method to update voter information. This move aligns with Abbott&#8217;s efforts to maintain control over Texas&#8217; voter registration process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":1951940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[3697,4255,6740,10945,8338,3670,20759,12350,8058,3694,6459],"class_list":["post-1951939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-abbott","tag-approves","tag-eric","tag-exit","tag-gov","tag-group","tag-leftist-controlled","tag-maintenance","tag-roll","tag-texas","tag-voter"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1951939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1951939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1951939\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1951940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1951939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1951939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1951939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}