DHS Flags More Than 250,000 Potential Noncitizen Voter Registrations in Four States

A preliminary federal review has raised serious questions about the accuracy of voter-registration records in California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, but the findings do not yet prove that hundreds of thousands of noncitizens cast ballots.

The Department of Homeland Security informed election officials that comparisons between public voter-registration records and federal immigration data produced more than 256,000 possible noncitizen registrations across the four states. The estimates included approximately 190,832 in California, 35,152 in New Jersey, 15,903 in Nevada, and 14,576 in Pennsylvania.

The White House separately announced that a broader DHS review had identified approximately 278,000 noncitizens who may be registered for federal elections. The administration described the figures as evidence that stronger citizenship-verification procedures are needed.

However, an important distinction must be maintained: being flagged as a possible registration match is not the same as being confirmed as an ineligible voter—and it is not proof that the person cast a ballot.

DHS described its work with the four states as a preliminary review. The department reportedly asked state election officials to help verify the individuals’ identities before removing anyone from the voter rolls or taking other enforcement action.

The possible matches were produced by comparing voter information—including names, addresses, birth dates and Social Security numbers—with federal immigration records. Such comparisons can identify legitimate problems, but they can also generate false matches when government databases contain outdated citizenship information, similar names or incomplete records.

Previous investigations of the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, system have documented cases in which naturalized American citizens were mistakenly flagged as noncitizens. In one Missouri county, more than half of the voters initially identified by the federal system were later determined to be citizens.

That history does not mean the new DHS findings should be dismissed. Every credible indication that an ineligible person may be registered deserves a careful investigation. Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and states have a responsibility to maintain accurate voter rolls.

At the same time, accuracy must work in both directions. Election officials must remove confirmed ineligible registrations while protecting naturalized citizens and other eligible Americans from being improperly disenfranchised.

Independent research has generally found that confirmed noncitizen voting is rare. Reuters reported that a Bipartisan Policy Center review found only about 0.04% of voters examined in state verification efforts were ultimately identified as noncitizens.

Officials in the affected states have also challenged the administration’s interpretation of the data. California Governor Gavin Newsom said the federal government had not publicly provided sufficient evidence supporting its numbers and emphasized that California requires citizenship for participation in state and federal elections. California does permit certain noncitizens to participate in limited local school-board elections, but those rules do not authorize them to vote in federal races.

The disagreement demonstrates why the underlying records, matching methodology and final verification results should be made public whenever legally possible. Americans should not be asked to accept dramatic claims solely on the authority of political officials from either party.

A credible investigation should determine:

• How many flagged individuals are actually noncitizens.
• How many were registered through errors, outdated records or deliberate misconduct.
• Whether any of them voted in a state or federal election.
• Whether election workers or outside organizations knowingly violated the law.
• How many flagged voters were later confirmed to be eligible American citizens.

Election integrity depends on evidence, not assumptions. If investigators confirm that noncitizens registered or voted illegally, those cases should be referred for prosecution and the registrations should be removed. If database errors incorrectly flagged citizens, those errors should be corrected before eligible voters lose their rights.

The DHS review has identified a matter requiring immediate and transparent examination. But describing every potential database match as a fraudulent ballot would go beyond the evidence currently available.

Americans deserve voter rolls that are accurate, elections restricted to eligible citizens and public reporting that clearly distinguishes possible matches, confirmed illegal registrations and ballots actually cast. That distinction is essential both to protecting election integrity and to preserving public confidence in the democratic process.