Fact Check: Trump’s Claims on Noncitizens and Voter Rolls

Fact Check: Trump’s Claims on Noncitizens and Voter Rolls

Former President Donald Trump has claimed that hundreds of thousands of noncitizens and deceased individuals are active on U.S. voter rolls, potentially impacting election integrity. This statement, however, lacks substantial evidence to support it.

Analysis of Claims

The White House released a document suggesting that over 250,000 noncitizens are registered to vote across four states: California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. This claim is based on a review of public voter rolls. However, the document does not provide details on how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducted this analysis, especially since they did not have access to protected personal information, such as Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers, which are crucial for verifying voter registration accurately.

The document mentions the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, which is believed to have been used to assess the voter rolls. Although this database can help verify citizenship status for government benefits, it is known to be error-prone in the context of voter roll verification, often mistakenly identifying newly naturalized citizens as noncitizens.

Deceased Voters on Voter Rolls

Additionally, the White House document claims that the SAVE database flagged approximately 400,000 voter registrations as deceased out of 68 million reviewed. Election officials must verify these flags through correspondence with voters flagged as deceased. While deceased individuals may appear on voter rolls temporarily, election officials regularly update these lists using data from Social Security death records and obituaries.

Challenges in Election Interference Allegations

Recent allegations about Chinese interference in U.S. elections were addressed by Joshua Kurlantzick, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He believes it is almost impossible for China to undermine U.S. elections due to the decentralized and localized nature of voting systems in America. Kurlantzick acknowledges China’s use of disinformation tactics and attempts to influence local officials, but he insists there is no credible evidence of their involvement in changing election outcomes.

Publicly Available Voter Information

Trump also alleged that China illicitly obtained 220 million U.S. voter files. However, voter roll information can be accessed through public records, purchased from states, or through commercial means. No evidence was provided by the former President to support the illicit transfer of voter data to China.

Reports from U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies maintain that there has been no alteration to the technical aspects of the voting process, including voter registration, ballot casting, or vote tabulation. Despite Trump’s assertions, election systems in the United States have not shown evidence of being tampered with by foreign actors.

Conclusion

While there are legitimate concerns about the integrity of voter rolls due to outdated information, substantial evidence to support claims of widespread noncitizen voting or foreign manipulation remains lacking. Election officials continue to maintain and verify voter rolls to ensure fair and transparent elections.