Texas GOP Chairman’s Update
September 20, 2024 | Media Inquiries: press@mctxgop.org
This past weekend was a huge success with the South Texas Day of Action in Hidalgo, Cameron, and Nueces counties. It is exciting to see South Texas so fired up for November. I’m excited for our North Texas Day of Action at the Tarrant County GOP headquarters, where we'll be joined by our Republican nominees and Victory Chair, Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne. We’ll also head over to House District 70 to block walk alongside Steve Kinard.
The South Texas push is going well, and we are on our way to knocking over 100,000 doors in South Texas alone! Additionally, we have over 20,000+ Election Integrity volunteers. We look forward to increasing these numbers even more.
Protect Our Elections
Election integrity continues to be the top priority of the Republican Party of Texas. This past Tuesday, I joined RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Former Acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker in Euless for an Election Integrity Training with the Protect the Vote team. If you would like to sign up for an Election Integrity training, there is still time, and I strongly encourage it if you want to do your part in making certain our elections are fair and secure. You can sign up here.
Don’t forget: October 7th is the last day to register to vote, and it will be here before you know it! Register to vote here.
Understanding the Texas Election System
In order to understand the ways in which we must improve our Texas elections so that they are secure and fair, we first have to understand the current bills, voting systems, and issues in place:
Senate Bill 1111 (87th Leg., R.S.)
In the 87th Regular Session (2021), the Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1111, amending certain provisions of the Texas Election Code related to the definition of residence, address confirmation notices, and voters who register at certain locations that do not correspond to a residence. Texas Election Code section 1.015(f) now states that, “A person may not establish a residence at any place the person has not inhabited. A person may not designate a previous residence as a home and fixed place of habitation unless the person inhabits the place at the time of designation and intends to remain.” This was a great step towards making sure only U.S. citizens are voting in our elections.
On June 4, 2024, the Texas Secretary of State Director of Elections, Christina Worrell Adkins, issued Election Advisory No. 2024-18. Although we are currently in the midst of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 voter list maintenance moratorium (90 days before a federal election), registered voters may continue to submit sworn statements in accordance with Texas Election Code section 16.092 to their voter registrar to raise residency challenges.
In Texas, the Texas Secretary of State examines and certifies voting systems. In 2022, then-Texas Secretary of State John Scott released a series of educational videos about election administration in Texas. One of those videos relates to Texas voting systems and is a good watch if you want to be further informed.
Montgomery County Rejects Voting System Software Upgrade
The Hart InterCivic Verity Voting 2.7 system was certified by the Texas Secretary of State on August 24, 2023 and this is the voting system used in Montgomery County. This month, Montgomery County Commissioners unanimously and correctly rejected a software upgrade to their Hart InterCivic voting machines ahead of the 2024 General Election. Importantly, when the Texas Secretary of State examines and certifies voting systems, they are examining and certifying those specific hardware and software components; so, software “upgrades” are not permitted without authorization by the Texas Secretary of State.
In Texas, no voting system is ever connected to the internet at any point either when votes are being cast or when they are being counted (Texas Election Code section 129.054). Additionally, only software certified by the Texas Secretary of State may be loaded on a computer used for counting or accumulating vote totals (Texas Election Code section 129.055).
Citizenship Issues
On Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Paxton urged the Texas Secretary of State to request citizenship data from the federal government that would enable Texas to determine the citizenship status of certain registered voters. Secretary Nelson responded by issuing a letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Jaddou calling on the agency to provide the requested citizenship data.
Election Fraud Investigation and Prosecution
The Republican Party of Texas continues to follow the recent decision by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to usurp prosecutorial authority from elected prosecutors and give it to the unelected Texas Ethics Commission. Ex Parte Robbie Gail Charette, Nos. 14-19-00855-CR, 14-19-00856-CR,14-19-00857-CR, and 14-19-00858-CR, 2024 WL 4138710 (Tex. Crim. App. Sept. 11, 2024). It is anticipated that the State Prosecuting Attorney will file a motion for rehearing and I am looking forward to getting more answers on this issue.
For Texas, For America,
Abraham George
Texas GOP Chairman
