Paxton accused of voting past two years from a Collin County address after moving
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appears to have voted in six elections in the past two years using the address of a Collin County home where he no longer lived, according to a report Tuesday by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica.
The report stated that Paxton, now the Republican Senate nominee, continued to vote using the address after his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, said in a 2025 divorce filing that he had moved out of the home a year earlier.
His living arrangements since then appear to be tied to a home in neighboring Denton County, though his voter registration was never updated, the news outlets said.
Three election lawyers said Paxton may have violated Texas law, which requires voters to register where they reside. Paxton’s office has repeatedly warned Texans “it is illegal to misrepresent your residence on election records.”
Paxton’s campaign called the report “a baseless, lie-filled tabloid story” and praised his record on election integrity. The campaign did not identify any factual inaccuracies after being asked by the news organizations.
Later, in a statement to The Dallas Morning News, campaign spokeswoman Madison Cercy said Paxton “is a lawful, registered Texas voter in full compliance with the law.”
He faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico of Austin in the U.S. Senate race in November.
According to the report:
—Paxton voted in six elections in the past two years from the Collin County address after he had reportedly moved out. That included the GOP Senate runoff in May.
—Paxton appears to be connected to a Denton County home purchased by a trust earlier this year, though the attorney general is not registered to vote in Denton County.
The trust did not disclose its ownership to Denton County officials, and it is not required to do so.
A recent podcast video showed Paxton inside what appeared to be the home during an interview.
Angela Paxton said through a spokesperson that she has no connection to the Denton County home or the trust that purchased it.
Paxton has made election integrity a signature issue as attorney general, creating a voter fraud tip line this year and previously prosecuting cases involving alleged false voting addresses.
Election law experts said residency cases can be difficult to prosecute because Texas law considers multiple factors in determining where a person lives. That includes whether an absence is temporary and whether the voter intends to return.
David Becker, a former U.S. Justice Department voting rights lawyer who now leads the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said Paxton, as the state’s chief elections enforcement officer, should know the state’s voting residency laws.
“There would be questions raised about a residence where someone does not live, does not spend the night and can in no way have the intent to continue to reside. Those would probably raise red flags in any state,” Becker said.
Voting in an election when the voter is ineligible is generally a second-degree felony in Texas, carrying a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
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