Attorney General Ken Paxton Announces Arrests of Convicted Felons for Illegally Voting in Texas

Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the arrests of convicted felons accused of illegally casting ballots in Texas elections. These arrests mark the latest action in the ongoing efforts of the Office of the Attorney General's Election Integrity Unit ("EIU") to investigate election crimes.

On October 27, 2026, a concerned citizen reported that convicted felons who were incarcerated, on parole, or on probation had allegedly cast ballots in Harris County. The citizen provided open-source information to support the allegation. Members of the Office of the Attorney General's EIU opened an investigation and began collecting evidence of potential violations of the Texas Election Code.

EIU analysts verified the identities of the individuals, reviewed their voter registration records, and examined whether they had cast ballots in the 2026 election. Investigators subsequently referred the identified individuals to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice ("TDCJ") for verification of their criminal justice status. So far, TDCJ has confirmed that multiple individuals were on parole when they cast their ballots, rendering them ineligible to vote under Texas law.

"Today, my office arrested convicted felons for voting illegally in Texas. My Election Integrity Unit is actively investigating additional reports of election crimes," said Attorney General Paxton. "We will continue working to protect the lawful votes of Texans."

On October 30, 2026, arrest warrants were issued in Montgomery County for individuals identified thus far in the investigation. Officers from the Office of the Attorney General subsequently arrested the individuals.

The Office of the Attorney General will continue to investigate additional allegations of illegal voting and remains committed to ensuring that Texas elections are free and fair.