Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the removal of over one million voters from state rolls since 2020, sparking concern among voting rights advocates. While about half of those removed had died or relocated, hundreds of thousands were purged for failing to update their registration after address changes.

“Texas may be engaging anew in unlawful purges under the guise of list maintenance,” warned a coalition of rights groups, including the Texas Civil Rights Project and the ACLU, in a letter to election officials.

The purge included approximately 6,000 individuals stripped of voting rights due to felony convictions and 6,500 labeled as “noncitizens.” Rights groups also allege that Republican officials conducted purges within 90 days of an election, violating federal law.

Related Story: Latino Civil Rights Group Demands Inquiry Into Texas Voter-Fraud Raids

This large-scale voter roll purge has raised alarms about potential voter suppression and the integrity of Texas’s electoral process. As the 2024 election approaches, the controversy highlights ongoing tensions between efforts to maintain accurate voter rolls and concerns about disenfranchisement.

Read more at Democracy Now!