AUSTIN, Texas -- Today, the Office of Texas’ Secretary of State submitted its official withdrawal notice from the Electronic Registration Information Center, also known as ERIC. ERIC has long been a trusted system that prevents voters from being registered in multiple states, ensures voters receive new voter registration opportunities when they move, and protects voters from being wrongfully purged from voter registration rolls.

As reported in the Texas Tribune, Texas now must come up with its own system within the next 91 days or find a cut-rate, untested version of ERIC. Our access to ERIC will end as soon as voter registration ends this year – just when we need it most – without a trusted alternative.

Jenna Royal, Texas Democratic Party Director of Voter Protection, released the following statement: 

“Texas Republicans have again taken drastic measures based on nothing more than conspiracy theories to undermine the voice of the voters of Texas. If ‘voter fraud’ remains one of Texas Republicans’ greatest concerns, they shouldn’t be leaving the system that prevents it. 

“Texas Republicans peddling ‘the Big Lie’ and unfounded conspiracies will bear real-world consequences on our state's ability to reliably  and accurately administer elections, and - most importantly- they are knowingly doing this with the intent of destabilizing the process in order to rig the system in their favor. The people of Texas deserve to have their votes counted accurately, and Texans can trust that the Texas Democratic Party’s Voter Protection Department will work day and night to ensure that happens for every Texas voter, regardless of party affiliation.”

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