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Resource ID: #28560
Subject: Voter Fraud
Source: Texas Tribune
Affiliation: 
Date: 2019-01-25

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The press release landed late on a Friday afternoon: State officials had found 95,000 noncitizens on the Texas voter rolls and 58,000 of those people had voted. The reaction from GOP state leaders, who have long pushed unsubstantiated claims of rampant voter fraud in Texas, was swift and certain. "VOTER FRAUD ALERT," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tweeted. "Thanks to Attorney General Paxton and the Secretary of State for uncovering and investigating this illegal vote registration," Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted, adding, "I support prosecution where appropriate." Even President Donald Trump chimed in. "58,000 non-citizens voted in Texas, with 95,000 non-citizens registered to vote. These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg." The state's claims immediately raised red flags for our voting rights reporter, Alexa Ura. Ura knew the state had used driver's license records, where applicants must reveal their citizenship status, to cross-reference the voter rolls and flag potential illegitimate voters. She also knew that in Texas, immigrants only have to renew their driver's license every few years, meaning many thousands of people flagged by the state's review had almost certainly become naturalized citizens before they registered and voted. Her breaking news story on state leaders' voter fraud announcement explained those flawed methods and cast serious doubts on their claims. But her follow-up reporting, dozens of explanatory and investigative stories over as many weeks, had far greater impact than merely debunking irresponsible claims.

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