By Basant El-Faramawy
The Trump administration's assertions that hundreds of thousands of noncitizens are improperly registered to vote have sparked legal battles and skepticism from state election officials across the country.
California Lawsuit and Disputed Numbers
The Justice Department sued California in late October, initially claiming over 190,000 noncitizen voters on state rolls before reducing the figure to 20,000 in the lawsuit. Los Angeles County officials reviewed a sample of 200 names and found nearly 40% indicated U.S. birth, while 71% had no voting history. Federal Judge David Carter rejected the DOJ's emergency intervention request, citing the administration's "unreliability" and "lack of credibility."
County Reviews Undermine Federal Lists
In Butte County, officials received a list of 47 names and found 32 were not on active voter rolls, while seven lacked sufficient information for matching. Nevada County officials reviewed 10 names and found no evidence of noncitizen voting in the November 3 election. San Benito County officials said a preliminary review indicated not all listed individuals were currently registered.
Washington State Officials Rebuke DOJ
Federal prosecutors in Washington state claimed 400 noncitizens voted this fall, calling it the "tip of the iceberg." Secretary of State Steve Hobbs responded that a preliminary review found U.S. citizens and individuals not registered to vote on the DOJ list, criticizing the lack of source documentation and warning that removing voters this close to the election risks disenfranchisement.
Nevada Officials Question Data Integrity
In August, federal officials alerted Nevada to a potential 15,903 noncitizen registrants, a figure that dropped to 185 during a video conference. Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar said the shifting numbers destroyed trust, noting the list went "from 16,000, and then to the 185, and then down to zero from our perspective." DHS defended its work as a service to Nevada citizens and said manual review had since confirmed about 2,000 more cases.
Federal Prosecutions Cited
A Justice Department official stated that, as of late October, the DOJ had charged roughly 200 individuals nationwide with illegal voting or unlawful voter registration offenses.
