Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says his office has arrested convicted felons accused of illegally casting ballots in Texas elections, with warrants executed in Montgomery County this week. The case traces back to a tip about voting activity in Harris County, where investigators say felons who were incarcerated, on parole, or on probation allegedly cast ballots they were not legally entitled to cast.
According to woodlandsonline.com, a concerned citizen reported on October 27 that convicted felons who were incarcerated, on parole, or on probation had allegedly cast ballots in Harris County. That tip prompted the Attorney General’s Election Integrity Unit to open an investigation and begin collecting evidence of potential violations of the Texas Election Code, the outlet reported. The seed report from NewsRadio 740 KTRH notes that Paxton’s office received the tip on October 26, per the attorney general’s office, and that the alleged ballots were cast during early voting ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Parole Status Made Votes Ineligible, TDCJ Says
Per the same account from woodlandsonline.com, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed that multiple individuals were on parole when they cast their ballots, rendering them ineligible to vote under Texas law. Election Integrity Unit analysts then verified the identities of the individuals, reviewed their voter registration records, and examined whether they had cast ballots in the 2026 election, according to montgomerycountypolicereporter.com.
Under the Texas Election Code, a person with a felony sentence is only considered a qualified voter once they have fully discharged that sentence — including incarceration, parole, or supervision — or completed a court-ordered period of probation, per Texas Legislature Online, Texas Election Code §11.002. Separately, the code states that a person commits an offense if they knowingly or intentionally vote or attempt to vote in an election while aware they are not eligible to do so, according to Texas Legislature Online, Texas Election Code §64.012.
Warrants Executed in Montgomery County
Arrest warrants were issued in Montgomery County on October 30, and officers from the Attorney General’s Office arrested the individuals identified so far in the investigation, the woodlandsonline.com report states. The seed report from NewsRadio 740 KTRH describes the arrests as occurring Friday in Montgomery County, with investigating officers from the Attorney General’s Office using those warrants to make the arrests…