Politics
Trump and allies focus on noncitizen voting claims ahead of November midterms
Federal claims and proposals face skepticism from election experts and state officials who question the data and methodology.
The short version
- President Donald Trump and federal agencies are escalating efforts around noncitizen voting, citing dubious Census data and unsubstantiated DHS estimates of noncitizens on voter rolls.
- State election officials across several states have expressed skepticism regarding federal claims, though New Jersey noted about 6,600 noncitizens were improperly registered via its motor vehicle agency, with fewer than 400 casting ballots.
- Trump is urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act to mandate proof of citizenship for voter registration, which critics argue could disenfranchise millions of eligible citizens lacking immediate access to required documents.
- Election experts and Democrats warn that amplifying these unverified claims lays the groundwork to challenge midterm election results in November.
Key facts
- President Donald Trump and his administration are promoting claims of noncitizen voting ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- A preliminary Census Bureau analysis cited by Trump claimed 24,000 noncitizens voted in 2020, but experts noted missing error rates and potential false positives from cross-referencing commercial voter files with federal data.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- The Department of Homeland Security alleged up to 250,000 noncitizens may be registered to vote across California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- Pennsylvania's secretary of the commonwealth stated that DHS officials acknowledged in a meeting they lacked high confidence in the specific figure sent to the state.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- New Jersey reported that approximately 6,600 noncitizens were mistakenly registered through a motor vehicle system in 2023 and 2024, with fewer than 400 having voted.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- Trump is lobbying Senate Republicans to pass the House-approved SAVE America Act, which requires physical proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- A 2025 study by the University of Maryland estimates 21.3 million eligible American voters do not easily possess citizenship documentation required under the proposed legislation.[Associated Press · ABC News]
What remains uncertain
- The full methodology and precise accuracy of the Department of Homeland Security's voter roll estimates remain unknown as federal officials have not provided detailed technical data to state election administrators.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- The true error rate of the Census Bureau's report alleging 24,000 noncitizen votes in 2020 has not been verified by independent auditors.[Associated Press · ABC News]