David Whitley
Former Texas secretary of state behind the 2019 non-citizen voter flag.
As Texas Secretary of State, David Whitley launched a review in January 2019 that flagged about 95,000 registered voters as possible non-citizens. About 25,000 were flagged in error, and he resigned on 27 May 2019 after the Texas Senate failed to confirm him.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026
Timeline for David Whitley
Mentioned in: Supreme Court revives DHS's SAVE checks
US Midterms 2026Background
Whitley's 2019 review is the best-known warning about bulk citizenship checks against government records, and such checks are back in 2026. A 6-3 Supreme Court order of 25 September 2026 put DHS's expanded SAVE database back in service, so election offices can again search voters against Social Security records in bulk, though only one by one until after 3 November.
Governor Greg Abbott appointed Whitley, a former top aide, as Secretary of State in December 2018. His January 2019 review used state records to flag about 95,000 registered voters. Many of the names belonged to naturalised citizens, and about 25,000 should never have been on the list. Three federal lawsuits followed. The state settled, abandoned the review and paid $450,000 in legal costs.
The Texas Senate never confirmed him. All 12 Democratic senators opposed his nomination, and he resigned at the end of the legislative session in May 2019.