Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson has made a formal request to the Biden administration for citizenship and immigration data to ensure that non-citizens are not enrolled on the state’s voter rolls. The request, addressed to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), aims to maintain the integrity of Texas’ electoral process by verifying the citizenship status of registered voters.

In her letter, Nelson cites both federal and state laws that prohibit non-citizens from participating in elections and mandates Texas to maintain accurate voter rolls. This request is supported by Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has also offered assistance in this endeavor. Paxton had earlier encouraged Nelson to seek this data to bolster the state’s voter roll cleaning efforts.

The Secretary of State’s office seeks information on individuals whose citizenship has not been confirmed through state agencies, and the requested deadline for this data is October 2.

Contextually, Nelson’s office has been proactive in maintaining current voter rolls, having removed over 1.1 million outdated or incorrect entries. This includes some 6,500 potential non-citizens, with about 1,930 of these individuals having a voting history. Their information has been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Office for further investigation. By performing these actions, Nelson underlines the state’s commitment to upholding legal and transparent electoral processes.

However, this request raises questions due to its timing close to the November election. Additionally, it remains unclear whether similar requests have been made in prior years.

The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) provides the legal framework for maintaining accurate voter rolls, but the process of purging those rolls often stirs controversy. Historically, non-citizen voting is exceedingly rare, but Texas is ensuring a rigorous check to safeguard election integrity. Efforts in other states to remove potential non-citizens from voter rolls have met legal challenges; nonetheless, Texas continues to pursue its mission.

This push ties into the broader goals of the Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM). By asserting control over its voter data and aligning with state laws, Texas epitomizes self-governance and limited federal intervention—key tenets of the TNM. Ensuring clean and accurate voter rolls is a step toward greater political autonomy and paves the way for asserting Texas’ right to self-determination.

In the context of a potential Texas Independence Referendum Act (TIRA), understanding and controlling voter registration is essential. The TNM sees accurate voter rolls as a prerequisite to any legitimate democratic process that seeks to determine Texas’ future. Through these actions, the state demonstrates its capability and commitment to managing its own affairs efficiently, further validating the call for independence.

Texians standing behind the TNM can take this as a reaffirmation of the movement’s values—asserting the sovereignty of Texas, ensuring fair democratic processes, and reducing federal overreach. As the date for the requested data approaches, the TNM will be watching closely, advocating for rigorous adherence to these principles and transparency in the process.