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Texas to Create Its Own Voter Roll Crosscheck Program

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Elderberry:
Texas Scorecard by  Erin Anderson   | March 16, 2023

The development prepares Texas for a possible exit from ERIC, the controversial Electronic Registration Information Center.

Texas election officials are developing a new program to improve the accuracy of the state’s voter rolls by comparing them with voter lists in other states, preparing for a possible exit from the controversial ERIC “crosscheck” service they currently use to identify voters who register and vote in multiple states.

The Texas secretary of state, who is the state’s chief election official, announced last week that longtime Elections Director Keith Ingram will now serve in “a newly-created position to develop and manage an interstate voter registration crosscheck program.”

The announcement comes as several other states are leaving ERIC, the Electronic Registration Information Center.

Republican Party officials and election integrity advocates are pressing Texas to withdraw from the program as well, citing concerns about costs, data security, and possible partisan access to voter data.

SOS spokesman Sam Taylor told Texas Scorecard that other states would “absolutely” be invited to participate in Texas’ new crosscheck program.

“Particularly because it’s required by statute,” Taylor said. “Sec. 18.062 requires Texas to ‘cooperate with other states and jurisdictions’ to develop such cross-check systems.”

    Currently, that system is ERIC. Should legislation pass that removes Texas from ERIC, or should a critical mass of states leave ERIC (which would reduce the usefulness of the data we receive from the partnership), Texas has to be ready to comply with this requirement in state law.

Texas Election Law Requires Crosschecks

Texas Election Code requires the state to participate in an interstate crosscheck program that compares “voters, voter history, and voter registration lists to identify voters whose addresses have changed.”

At this time, ERIC is the only such program. Texas originally planned to participate in a free crosscheck program run by Kansas officials, but it was driven out of business by an ACLU lawsuit.

Yet Republican lawmakers have filed legislation in the House and Senate that would have the effect of eliminating ERIC as a crosscheck option by setting limits on costs and data-sharing.

More: https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-to-create-its-own-voter-roll-crosscheck-program/

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