Overview
- Reporting first publicized Friday shows James Talarico voted in five elections using his parents’ Austin address after he bought a north Austin home in June 2022 and did not update his voter registration until September 2024.
- Talarico’s campaign says he lives in the house he bought in 2022 and denies wrongdoing while declining reporters’ questions and citing credible threats to the candidate’s family.
- Video and attendee accounts published by conservative outlets show a campaign staffer taking an attendee’s phone and stopping a recording when asked about 'voter fraud' at a recent event.
- Legal experts note Texas law requires voters to register where they live and candidates to have one year of residency, but they call the rules vague and say proving illegal intent would be required to prosecute or remove a candidate.
- The dispute has been seized on by Republican Ken Paxton and other opponents as a campaign issue in a close U.S. Senate race, and it could prompt legal challenges, ethics reviews, or new scrutiny of both campaigns as the contest continues.