{"id":2354773,"date":"2024-10-14T16:11:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T20:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/potential-tx-voters-with-noncitizen-id-must-provide-citizen-docs\/"},"modified":"2024-10-14T16:13:55","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T20:13:55","slug":"potential-tx-voters-with-noncitizen-id-must-provide-citizen-docs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/potential-tx-voters-with-noncitizen-id-must-provide-citizen-docs\/","title":{"rendered":"Potential TX Voters With Noncitizen ID Must Provide Citizen Docs"},"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\">20<\/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%2Fpotential-tx-voters-with-noncitizen-id-must-provide-citizen-docs%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=2354773&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--><p>The Texas Secretary of\u2064 State, Jane Nelson, recently updated election guidance regarding voting eligibility for individuals presenting noncitizen driver\u2019s licenses. Initially, poll workers were instructed to allow these individuals to vote, but the new guidance requires \u200bthem to\u200c provide \u2064proof of naturalization, such as a naturalization card \u200bor \u2064certificate, in order to receive a \u200cregular ballot. This change stems from concerns over\u2064 illegal voting, as highlighted in a memo where Nelson emphasized that election workers must not facilitate voting \u2063by noncitizens. The update comes after the state attorney general did not provide a formal legal opinion\u2064 on the matter. <\/p>\n<p>Republican representatives, including Chip Roy and Brian Harrison, have expressed support for\u2064 the updated policy, asserting the importance of preventing noncitizens from voting. They criticized the original guidance, which allowed \u200cvoting \u200bwith a limited-term\u2063 driver\u2019s license and \u200dprompted public outcry \u2063for its retraction. The new \u200cmeasure aims to\u200b ensure election \u200cintegrity ahead of the upcoming \u2064early voting period. Representative Roy noted the significant number of noncitizens\u2014over 2.8 million\u2014holding Texas driver\u2019s licenses or IDs,\u2063 underscoring the urgency of addressing this issue to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-forces-los-angeles-county-to-remove-1-2-million-ineligible-voters-from-rolls\/\" title=\"Lawsuit Forces Los Angeles County To Remove 1.2 Million Ineligible Voters From Rolls\">maintain accurate voter rolls<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>After instructing poll workers last week to give ballots to people who present a noncitizen driver&rsquo;s license, the Texas secretary of state updated the guidance to require those voters to also provide proof of naturalization.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[E]lection workers have an obligation under state criminal law not to facilitate illegal voting by non-citizens,&rdquo; reads a Friday memo from Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson to election officials regarding the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TeamBettencourt\/status\/1844834090333425956\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">updated guidance<\/a>. &ldquo;When an individual attempts to vote by presenting a temporary or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tx-official-give-ballots-to-people-who-show-noncitizen-ids\/\" title=\"TX Official: Give Ballots To People Who Show Noncitizen IDs\">limited-term driver&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s license (which federal regulations say must be issued only to non-citizens who are lawfully present in this country) election workers must require that the individual produce a naturalization card or naturalization certificate demonstrating U.S. citizenship to receive a regular ballot.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Nelson said the change came after the state&rsquo;s attorney general did not respond to her office&rsquo;s request for a &ldquo;formal legal opinion&rdquo; on &ldquo;this important issue.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told The Federalist the updated guidance is a &ldquo;good step&rdquo; in the right direction.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is critically important that Texas take every legal step necessary to ensure that not a single noncitizen votes,&rdquo; Roy said. &ldquo;The secretary of state&rsquo;s modified guidance was a good step in that direction. I think we need to have continued conversation ensuring that we&rsquo;ve done all we can do &hellip; and the Texas legislature should clarify the law further to ensure integrity in our elections.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Brian Harrison, a Republican Texas state representative who worked with Roy and others to have the guidance amended expressed <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/brianeharrison\/status\/1844840625784394201\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">approval<\/a> of the update in a Friday post on X, though he told The Federalist it was &ldquo;really unfortunate that it took such public pressure from folks like Rep. Roy and myself to force the Secretary of State to do the right thing and retract that woefully misguided election advisory.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Early voting is starting soon, so that is why I felt that we didn&rsquo;t have the luxury of waiting and had to go public demanding this guidance be retracted,&rdquo; Harrison continued. &ldquo;The most important thing is to ensure that all agencies of Texas government, especially the secretary of state, are laser-focused to ensure that zero noncitizens vote in our elections. Any number other than zero is a failure and is unacceptable to me.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The initial guidance, issued Tuesday by Nelson&rsquo;s office and signed off by Director of Elections Christina Adkins, instructed poll workers to give ballots to people who presented a &ldquo;limited-term&rdquo; driver&rsquo;s license or ID card.<\/p>\n<p>Individuals who are legally residing in the state but are not citizens can be issued &ldquo;temporary or limited-term&rdquo; driver&rsquo;s licenses or identification cards by the Texas Department of Public Safety. If an individual presents a limited-term noncitizen license or ID and is already registered to vote, the original guidance instructed poll workers to &ldquo;inform the individual that the identification presented suggests that the individual is not a United States citizen&rdquo; and that noncitizen voting is illegal.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If the individual does not have further questions or concerns and wishes to proceed to vote, the individual should be offered a regular ballot,&rdquo; the original guidance stated. As noted by Nelson&rsquo;s initial guidance, &ldquo;it is possible the individual became a naturalized United States citizen after the limited-term license or identification card was issued and has not updated his or her Texas driver&rsquo;s license or identification card.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/chiproytx\/status\/1844561166506270823\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Roy<\/a> indicated on Wednesday that his office was &ldquo;aware of [the] problem&rdquo; presented by the original guidance and was working with Nelson&rsquo;s office to &ldquo;address&rdquo; it. In a follow-up post on Thursday, Roy, citing the Texas Department of Public Safety, claimed that more than 2.8 million noncitizens have driver&rsquo;s licenses, commercial driver&rsquo;s licenses, or IDs. <\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: according to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TxDPS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TxDPS<\/a> &ndash; 2,824,613 non-citizens have DL&rsquo;s, CDL&rsquo;s, or ID &ndash; after working with my friend <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/brianeharrison?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@brianeharrison<\/a> to run this to ground.  That&rsquo;s why this matters &ndash; a lot. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OxC125vWaF\">https:\/\/t.co\/OxC125vWaF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Chip Roy (@chiproytx) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chiproytx\/status\/1844561166506270823?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Roy told The Federalist that when he and others became aware of the original guidance, they &ldquo;engaged in friendly diplomacy with the secretary of state and attorney general to make clear that it would be a mistake to just issue blanket guidance accepting a noncitizen ID as proof to be able to vote in the election when in fact a noncitizen ID ought to first raise the alarm bell that this individual may not be a citizen.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Roy noted that it is possible a small subset of individuals may have become naturalized (and therefore eligible to vote) and have yet to receive an ID, though that should be accounted for &ldquo;through other means.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Republican Texas State Senator Paul Bettencourt also weighed in on the issue, stressing the &ldquo;paramount importance&rdquo; of &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oklahoma-senate-moves-to-ensure-only-u-s-citizens-are-voting-in-state-elections\/\" title=\"Oklahoma Senate Moves To Ensure Only U.S. Citizens Are Voting In State Elections\">voter roll integrity<\/a>&rdquo;  after Nelson requested a legal opinion from the attorney general.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Voter roll integrity is of paramount importance to any democracy,&rdquo; Bettencourt <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TeamBettencourt\/status\/1844493047272263791\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> in a Thursday post on X. &ldquo;As a Senator and former County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar, there is a simple set of facts I believe in. All eligible U.S. citizens should be allowed to register and vote in Texas and non-citizens should not be allowed to do either.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>For more election news and updates, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/electionbriefing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electionbriefing.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texas updated voting guidance to require proof of naturalization for noncitizen license holders<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2354774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/25156327405_498142c06f_k-e1728683175655.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[42991,42990,42989],"class_list":["post-2354773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-citizen-documentation","tag-noncitizen-id","tag-tx-voters"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/25156327405_498142c06f_k-e1728683175655.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354773","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\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2354773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2354774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2354773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2354773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2354773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}