Trump says 278,000 noncitizens are on voting rolls. Experts say that’s wrong.
President Donald Trump recently claimed during a prime-time address that over 278,000 noncitizens are currently registered to vote in federal elections. Following this statement, the administration announced plans to withhold funding from states that refuse to provide voter rolls for federal review. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that failure to comply could result in legal consequences for election officials, including potential fines or incarceration.
The administration identifies Nevada, California, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey as states with high numbers of these alleged registrations. However, election officials and subject experts dispute these figures. These experts suggest the administration reached its conclusions by relying on incomplete public data that lacks the verification necessary to confirm citizenship status. This methodology frequently confuses individuals with similar names or misclassifies naturalized citizens as noncitizens.
State officials argue that the federal government does not maintain authority over local voter rolls. Secretaries of state in the involved regions maintain that their lists are accurate and well-vetted. In Nevada, officials noted they have not received specific documentation from the Department of Homeland Security to substantiate the accusations made against their records.
Existing federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections and carries strict penalties for those who do. Data from past audits consistently shows that noncitizen voting occurs at extremely low rates. For instance, recent audits in states like Georgia and Minnesota found only a handful of cases among millions of cast ballots. Experts point out that some noncitizens may register by accident at motor vehicle offices without understanding the legal restrictions, yet most of these individuals never attempt to cast a ballot.
The Trump administration continues to push for the passage of the Save America Act, which would mandate proof of citizenship for all voter registrations. While the debate over election security remains a central political topic, current verification systems already exist to identify ineligible voters. The divide between federal oversight and state-run election administration persists as officials prepare for the upcoming midterms.