The political landscape in Texas is heating up as Democratic candidate James Talarico accuses Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton of committing the very type of voter fraud Paxton has long championed fighting against. This accusation has sparked a heated debate and drawn significant attention to the upcoming U.S. Senate race.
Talarico, a state representative challenging Paxton for the Senate seat, made the allegations during a campaign event in Houston. He highlighted that Paxton, as the state’s attorney general, has been a vocal advocate for combating voter fraud. However, Talarico claims that Paxton himself may have been involved in such activities.
Allegations of Voter Fraud
According to reports from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, Paxton moved out of the home he shared with his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, in 2026. Despite this move, he continued to vote using the address of his former residence, including during the March Republican primary where he defeated John Cornyn. Three election experts have suggested that Paxton may have broken state law by doing so.
The Collin County democratic party has filed a complaint with the Texas secretary of state, urging an investigation into Paxton’s voting practices. Paxton has declined to answer questions about his voter registration and residency, focusing instead on other campaign issues.
Political Reactions and Implications
Political science professor Cal Jillson from Southern Methodist University noted that these allegations may resonate with voters, reinforcing longstanding accusations that Paxton has used his office for personal gain. This theme was central to the Texas Legislature’s impeachment of Paxton in 2026 on charges of bribery and corruption, although he was ultimately acquitted.
“There’s been a whole series of legal challenges he’s been able to slip out of, but voters are at least vaguely aware of them,” Jillson said. “The latest reporting about his voting practices is just another example of playing fast and loose with a law you must be familiar with as attorney general.”
Texas law permits voters to temporarily cast ballots using an address where they do not reside, provided they intend to return. However, election lawyers have indicated that Paxton’s ongoing public and acrimonious divorce makes it unlikely he could make such an argument.
The Path Forward
The future of the complaint filed against Paxton remains uncertain. State law requires the secretary of state to “promptly” refer complaints to the attorney general if there is reasonable cause to suspect criminal conduct. However, the office has been slow to respond to inquiries, and the complaint remains under review.
Secretary of State Jane Nelson’s last day in office was Friday, three days after the complaint was filed. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Robert Howden, one of his senior advisers, to replace her. The office continues to decline to answer questions from reporters, but Collin County Democratic Party Vice Chair Mary Higbe confirmed that the complaint is still under review.
The attorney general’s office has not responded to questions about whether it received the complaint or whether it would hire a special prosecutor to investigate it. The silence from the Republican-led state government suggests an effort to slow-walk the investigation, which some see as hypocritical given Paxton’s rhetoric about securing Texas elections.
“You push the idea that you’re going to be really tough on election wrongdoing, and yet here you are with allegations in which you seem to be uninterested in pursuing,” said Jon Taylor, a political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. “That smacks of rank hypocrisy.”
