Texas election integrity is about more than counting votes. It’s about ensuring Texans can trust that elections are secure, transparent, accurate, and fair.
In this episode of Taxpayer Empowerment, TPPF’s Jose Melendez sits down with Chuck DeVore, TPPF’s Chief National Initiatives Officer, to discuss key election integrity reforms Texas lawmakers could consider in the next legislative session. Their conversation covers election consolidation, foreign funding of ballot propositions, proof of citizenship, noncitizen voting, voting technology, and ways to strengthen public confidence in Texas elections.
They also examine how holding local elections on low-turnout dates can affect voter participation and taxpayer-funded bond elections and why consolidating elections with higher-turnout primary or November elections could dramatically increase participation.
In this episode:
What election integrity means for Texas voters
Why public confidence and transparency matter
The case for consolidating local Texas elections
How low-turnout elections can affect bond propositions and local government
Potential taxpayer savings from election consolidation
Foreign money in state and local ballot propositions
Closing loopholes involving foreign political spending
Proof-of-citizenship requirements for state and local elections
Arizona’s two-tier voter registration model
State-issued identification for noncitizens
Standardizing paper ballots and optical-scanning technology
How Texas could produce faster, more trusted election results
TPPF’s election integrity priorities heading into the next legislative session
What would successful election reform look like? DeVore argues that the ultimate goal is an election system Texans trust enough that they can spend less time worrying about election mechanics and more time debating candidates, policies, and the future of the state.