Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office revealed on Saturday that several convicted felons were arrested for participating in elections despite being ineligible under state law.
This initiative followed a tip received on October 27, as mentioned in a press release from Paxton’s office. A vigilant citizen alerted authorities about individuals who reportedly voted while incarcerated, on parole, or on probation in Harris County.
Authorities from the Attorney General’s Election Integrity Unit then scrutinized the identities of those mentioned in the report, assessing their voter registration records and whether they had voted in the 2026 election. The investigation was advanced by referring the cases to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for verification of each person’s status.
Confirmation was received that multiple individuals were indeed on parole at the time of their votes, which disqualified them under the Texas Election Code.
According to Texas law, anyone convicted of a felony forfeits their voting rights for the entirety of their sentence, including any time spent in incarceration, on parole, or probation. Voting rights are automatically reinstated only after completing the full sentence, requiring re-registration to vote.
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BREAKING: Today, my office arrested convicted felons for voting illegally in Texas. pic.twitter.com/iCNSKDQbyB
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) October 31, 2026
On October 30, warrants for the arrests were issued in Montgomery County for those identified up to that date. Officers from the Attorney General’s office executed the arrests, and the Election Integrity Unit is still probing further reports of potential election violations.
“Today, my office arrested convicted felons for voting illegally in Texas. My Election Integrity Unit is actively investigating additional reports of election crimes. We will continue working to protect the lawful votes of Texans,” said Paxton in the release.
The precise number of arrests was not disclosed, but the announcement indicated that the cases involved “multiple individuals.” The investigation primarily centered on alleged election violations related to the 2026 cycle in Harris County, with the arrest warrants being processed through the Montgomery County courts.
This crackdown follows broader efforts against illegal and noncitizen voting initiated by the Trump Administration.
Separately, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security have reported numerous arrests of noncitizens for unlawful registration or voting in U.S. elections. The Department of Justice has also brought charges against groups of noncitizens across several states, including California, Florida, and New York.
The federal actions involve claims of noncitizen participation in federal elections and associated false statements about citizenship.
