Texas bill would require proof of citizenship to register to vote | Texas: The Issue Is

AUSTIN, Texas - A new poll shows a majority of Texans were satisfied with how the 2024 elections were run.

However, the poll also found that there's strong support for some election reform ideas being considered by state lawmakers, like requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Sen. Bryan Hughes filed SB 309 that would require proof of citizenship to vote.

Texas Sen. Bryan Hughes

SB 309

What they're saying:

Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola): The law requires that only U.S. citizens can vote in U.S. elections. However, to register to vote, you're not required to show proof of citizenship. The feds have not let the states do that. There's a federal bill moving that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote. But we're not waiting for Washington. Our bill says to register to vote in Texas, you need to show proof of U.S. citizenship. It's pretty basic. Most people agree that only U.S. citizens have the right to vote in U.S. elections. But remarkably, there's opposition to requiring proof of citizenship to register. That's what this bill is about.

Rudy Koski, FOX 7 Austin: On the voter registration cards right now, there's a box that says, I am a U.S. citizen. You're supposed to check that. Why isn't that enough?

Hughes: The difference is showing proof. Let me see a birth certificate, a passport, as you know, to get a driver's license in Texas for years now. You've been required to show proof of citizenship. A birth certificate, a driver, a passport, something like that. We need that same requirement for voter registration. Every year we clean the voter rolls and we find non-citizens who are registered to vote in Texas. And that doesn't make sense.

Koski: The Trump administration is trying to change how birthright citizenship is interpreted. Are you worried that that case could affect your bill?

Hughes: We definitely have to watch both of them. That right to vote is a precious privilege of U.S. citizens. And so determining who's entitled to U.S. citizenship will have a lot to do with who has a right to vote. So they're both important. We have to watch a vote.

Koski: How soon could this come up?

Hughes: So the bill is filed and referred to the Senate Committee on State Affairs where election matters go. We plan to have a hearing on this bill within the next couple of weeks, so it should be moving quickly.

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