Report Finds Minimal Non-Citizen Voting Across US Despite Trump's Claims

A new report by the Center for Election Innovation & Research shows that noncitizen voting in the US is rare and not coordinated. Despite claims by President Trump and other Republicans, states and law enforcement have found only a few cases of noncitizen voting, with the most recent review in Michigan finding 16 cases out of 5.7 million votes cast. The report confirms that noncitizens are not a significant threat to the election system.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated a state-by-state review to scrutinize how officials manage their voter rolls and remove ineligible voters, focusing primarily on battleground states. This effort is part of a broader initiative to ensure that elections are conducted fairly and accurately. The DOJ has sent nearly identical letters to election officials in Minnesota, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, requesting detailed information on how they identify and remove ineligible voters, such as felons, dead individuals, nonresidents, and noncitizens [1].

The DOJ has also asked Arizona to require the use of driver's license numbers instead of the last four digits of Social Security numbers for voter registration. Additionally, the department has sued Orange County, California, for not providing sufficient identifying information in response to a records request. The DOJ is also supporting lawsuits brought by the right-leaning group Judicial Watch against Illinois and Oregon, alleging that these states have not been removing enough people from their voter rolls [1].

The DOJ's actions are part of a broader effort to lay the groundwork for potential challenges to election results in 2026, according to Jonathan Diaz, the voting advocacy director at Campaign Legal Center. The DOJ is asking for detailed information about individual voters, which is more specific than what states typically provide to political campaigns or journalists [1].

Despite claims by President Trump and other Republicans, a new report by the Center for Election Innovation & Research shows that noncitizen voting in the US is rare and not coordinated. The report confirms that noncitizens are not a significant threat to the election system. For instance, a recent review in Michigan found only 16 cases of noncitizen voting out of 5.7 million votes cast [2].

The DOJ's focus on battleground states and its request for detailed voter information raise concerns about potential political motivations and the potential for misuse of data. However, the DOJ maintains that its actions are necessary to ensure the integrity of the election system and to remove ineligible voters [1].

References:
[1] https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/department-justice-wants-inspect-swing-090154555.html
[2] https://electionlawblog.org/?p=151227