Paxton: Felons on Parole Arrested for Voting Illegally in Texas

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has arrested convicted felons accused of casting ballots illegally in the 2026 election, the office announced Saturday, three days before Tuesday’s midterms.

“Today, my office arrested convicted felons for voting illegally in Texas,” Paxton said in a statement released by his office on October 31. “My Election Integrity Unit is actively investigating additional reports of election crimes. We will continue working to protect the lawful votes of Texans.”

BREAKING: Today, my office arrested convicted felons for voting illegally in Texas. pic.twitter.com/iCNSKDQbyB

— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) October 31, 2026

According to the attorney general’s press release, the case began on October 27, when a concerned citizen reported that convicted felons who were incarcerated, on parole or on probation had allegedly cast ballots in Harris County. The office said the tipster supplied open-source information to back up the allegation.

Analysts in the office’s Election Integrity Unit then verified the identities of the individuals, reviewed their voter registration records and checked whether they had voted in the 2026 election, the release said. The office said it referred the names to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which has so far confirmed that multiple individuals were on parole when they cast their ballots, making them ineligible to vote under Texas law.

Arrest warrants were issued October 30 in Montgomery County, according to the attorney general’s office, and its officers subsequently arrested the individuals identified so far. Houston’s NewsRadio 740 KTRH reported that the arrests were made Friday in Montgomery County, north of Houston, and that the ballots in question were cast during early voting.

What we don’t know yet

The attorney general’s office has not said how many people were arrested, has not released their names and has not listed the specific charges, according to its release. KTRH described the case as involving “several arrests.” The office also did not say which prosecutor will handle the cases. Daily Beltway is not naming anyone, and those arrested are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Under Texas law, people convicted of a felony regain the right to vote only after fully completing their sentence, including any parole or probation. Knowingly voting while ineligible is a second-degree felony in Texas, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, as ProfiloPolitics noted in its report on the arrests.

Why it matters

The announcement lands as Texans finish voting in a midterm cycle where control of Congress is on the line. Paxton’s office said it remains “committed to ensuring that Texas elections are free and fair” and will keep investigating additional allegations of illegal voting.

The case also shows how a single tip from a citizen, checked against state corrections records, can turn into arrests in a matter of days. According to the release, just three days passed between the October 27 report and the October 30 warrants.

Paxton’s personal account posted the news on X on Saturday afternoon, writing, “BREAKING: Today, my office arrested convicted felons for voting illegally in Texas.” The post had drawn more than a million views by Sunday morning, according to X’s public counts.

Daily Beltway will update this story if the attorney general’s office releases the number of people charged, their charges or the counties where the ballots were counted.

Sources

• Office of the Texas Attorney General press release, Oct. 31, 2026
• NewsRadio 740 KTRH: Arrests Made for Illegal Voting, AG Paxton Says
• ProfiloPolitics report on the arrests
• Ken Paxton on X

Reporting by Daily Beltway.