State Officials Challenge the Administration's Claim of 250,000 Noncitizens on Voter Rolls
The administration announced that the Department of Homeland Security identified more than 250,000 noncitizens registered to vote across California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin stated that only Americans should elect American leaders, but state officials in all four states have pushed back against the federal government's findings. Officials in California, Nevada, and Pennsylvania questioned the methodology used by the administration to reach these numbers, noting that the federal government has not disclosed its specific data sources or software. This is particularly notable because several states have not shared their private voter rolls, including Social Security numbers, with the federal government. Secretary of State Shirley Weber of California and Secretary of State Al Schmidt of Pennsylvania demanded transparency regarding the data sources and whether artificial intelligence was used. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar of Nevada expressed concern that the administration might use these unverified numbers as a pretext for potential interference in the vote-counting process during the upcoming midterms.
Sources
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Trump's claims of 250,000 non-U.S. citizens on voter rolls leave some states baffled
NPR
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Pennsylvania asks Trump admin how it identified potential noncitizens registered to vote
Spotlight PA
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States push DHS to explain its noncitizen voter claims
NBC News
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‘Serious doubts about the reliability of your data’: California bluntly challenges DHS over sweeping noncitizen voter claims
Democracy Docket
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Pa. pushes back after DHS claims 14,576 non-citizens may be registered to vote
WGAL