DEMOCRACY WATCHTexas Pushes Back Against Widespread Disinformation About Voter Registration
The Secretary of State and a voter registration expert in Texas have refuted widespread disinformation spread by YouTubers and anonymous social media accounts, which falsely claimed that since January 2024, over 1.2 million people registered to vote in Texas without photo IDs. Voter rolls in Texas have increased by 57,711 voters since the beginning of 2024, and each one of the new registrant did so with either a driver’s license or an SSN, after the state verified that the SSN was authentic.
The Secretary of State and a voter registration expert in Texas have refuted widespread disinformation spread by YouTubers and anonymous social media accounts this week.
An anonymous account on X, formerly known as Twitter, claimed, “the number of voters registering without a photo ID is skyrocketing in three key swing states: Arizona, Texas and Pennsylvania.” It also claimed that since January 2024, over 1.2 million people registered to vote in Texas without photo IDs.
Individuals unaffiliated with any organization posted videos from what appears to be their bedrooms or their front porches on TikTok, X and other social media channels claiming over 227,000, people registered to vote in Texas without an ID. One claimed, “Breaking News: you can both register to vote and vote in Texas without an ID” and that 277,000 new voters registered without an ID in Texas in one week.
Responding to the misinformation, Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson issued a statement, saying, “It is totally inaccurate that 1.2 million voters have registered to vote in Texas without a photo ID this year. The truth is our voter rolls have increased by 57,711 voters since the beginning of 2024. This is less than the number of people registered in the same timeframe in 2022 (about 65,000) and in 2020 (about 104,000).”
She is referring to a net increase from January to March prior to the primary election held on March 5.
“When Texans register to vote, they must provide a driver license number or a Social Security number. When an individual registers to vote with just a SSN, the state verifies that the SSN is authentic,” she added.
Among other information, the SOS online voter registration application requires an individual to state that they are a U.S. citizen, confirm they are 18 years old, provide their Texas driver’s license number or Texas personal ID, the last four numbers of their Social Security number, their residential address, and agree to a perjury statement. The statement says giving false information to procure a voter registration is perjury and a crime under state and federal law, which can result in a penalty of one year in jail or a fine of up to $4,000, or both.
The form requires affirmation of citizenship, county residency, that the applicant hasn’t been convicted of a felony and hasn’t been determined by a court to be mentally incapacitated.
