• dhork@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    They don’t have a link to the actual form the counties want to distribute, but when Republicans get tweaked over this, it’s usually because they are using the Federal mail-in form. They ask on that form that people simply check a box to indicate they are US citizens and are thus eligible to vote. Since it’s a mail-in form, they don’t ask to include any other proof of citizenship (although first-time registrants do need to submit proof of residence). But, they do note on the form that submitting a form with a false declaration is a crime, and if a non-citizen does it they would be subject to deportation.

    If Paxton is so sure non-citizens are registering to vote in droves, all he has to do is investigate these forms as they come in, as any non-citizen who fills it out can immediately have the book thrown at them. The fact that he doesn’t means that even he knows non-citizens are not doing this. It makes no sense to risk being kicked out of the country just to vote in a system where you can’t fully participate. The risk is just too high.

    • A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      The republicans have investigated voting fraud extensively.

      all they’ve found is republicans voting fraudulently. either at an individual level, or at a systemic level.

      But they ignore that to focus on manufactured voter fraud, like telling Felons they are allowed to vote, so they vote, then coming after them for voting while a felon and claiming its fraudulent… Like DeSantis tried to do in Florida a few years back.

    • scutiger@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      He doesn’t think non-citizens are trying to vote, he’s just trying to limit the number of people in majority-Democrat counties voting. The whole voter fraud story is bullshit. They just want their own uneducated people to buy it.

      • CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 months ago

        This exactly. His base fully believes the story that immigrants are voting illegally, so he sets up very challenging rules to register to vote, making it time consuming and prohibitive.

        The law is then used to suppress votes in districts that vote against the GOP.

    • ATDA@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      I mean this entire recent thing with Paxton is over like 6500 voter registrations.

      If there are people that bad at risk assessment we’re talking tiny, tiny chunks of votes.

      Even looking at this from Paxton’s point of view and assume every one of those votes was in bad faith, he’s the one with risk assessment issues. The response is so over blown its ridiculous.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        This is the wedge. Look at Abortion. They banned that completely and the entire time they talked about 3rd trimester abortions which are a tiny fraction of all abortions and only when the fetus is dead or incompatible with life.

        Their playbook has always been to go after edge cases to create the will for large changes.

        • Funderpants @lemmy.ca
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          2 months ago

          This is an important observation that I wish more people would make. Conservative groups constantly pick at the fringes of behaviour to justify their policy positions.

          You see if everywhere once you know to look.