The Texas Secretary of State’s office has identified 2,724 individuals on the state’s voter rolls who may not be U.S. citizens, according to a press release issued Monday. The discovery was made through a cross-check between the state’s voter registration database and the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program.

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced that her office had “completed a full comparison of the state’s voter registration list against citizenship data in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ SAVE database.” The process, enabled by the Trump administration’s decision to grant states free and direct access to the data set, allowed for the identification of potential noncitizens registered to vote.

Following the review, which involved cross-referencing Texas’ 18 million voter records, the SOS provided the findings to counties, which will now investigate the eligibility of these voters under Chapter 16 of the Texas Election Code. Individuals deemed noncitizens who voted in a Texas election will be referred to the Office of the Attorney General.

County-level procedures outline that potential noncitizens will receive notices from local registrars and may provide proof of citizenship to retain their voting status. If no response is received within 30 days, registrations will be canceled but can be reinstated with valid documentation.

Nelson emphasized the importance of maintaining accurate voter lists, stating, “Only eligible United States citizens may participate in our elections.” The SAVE database has been described as a critical tool in ensuring election integrity.

Texas was among the first states to partner with USCIS on the initiative, focusing initially on potential illegal voters in the November 2024 election. This effort led to 33 referrals to the Office of the Attorney General in June.