Federal Data Behind Texas Voter Registration Claim Shows 2.9 Million New Entries, Not Fraud
A viral post citing 2024 federal reports suggests millions of noncitizens registered in Texas, but the data also records 1.8 million removals and does not verify citizenship status.
By Jack Weber ·
Texas voters saw a net gain of 952,000 registered ballots between 2022 and 2024, according to state data. This figure stands in contrast to a viral claim circulating in conservative circles that cites 2.9 million new registrations as evidence of widespread fraud in the recent midterm elections.
The 2.9 million figure originates from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's 2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey. The report indicates that Texas processed 5.1 million voter registration transactions during the 2022 to 2024 period. Of those transactions, 2.9 million were classified as new valid registrations. However, the category includes individuals who moved to Texas from other states or transferred between counties within the state. It does not confirm that each person registered to vote for the first time.
The report also notes that Texas removed 1.8 million voter registration records from its rolls during the same timeframe. These removals occur when voters move, die, or become ineligible. Additionally, the state processed 2.1 million updates to existing registrations. The data does not identify these 2.9 million new entries as ineligible or fraudulent.
President Donald Trump amplified the doubts on social media. He shared a post on Saturday questioning the vote count for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa. On Monday, he wrote, "Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election' was honest. How could the Polls be so wrong???" The comments followed a Tuesday election where Democrats won the governor, U.S. Senate, and lieutenant governor races for the first time in more than three decades.
Under Texas law, applicants are not required to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register. They must affirm their citizenship and provide identifying information, such as a driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. False information carries criminal penalties. The state also checks government records to identify potential ineligibility.
In October 2025, the Texas Secretary of State's Office checked 18 million registered voters against the federal SAVE database. The review flagged 2,700 people as possible noncitizens, representing less than 0.02% of the total checked. Further reviews confirmed that hundreds of those individuals were U.S. citizens. The state referred 117 cases to the Texas Attorney General's Office for investigation.
The 117 referrals do not constitute a finding of fraud. The state has not publicly accounted for the final status of every voter initially flagged. The secretary of state's office and the attorney general's office did not respond to questions about the review status on Monday. The data currently circulating online covers registrations from 2022 to 2024, a period that includes the 2024 presidential election won by Donald Trump in Texas. The federal report does not examine the 2026 election results.
