Markwayne Mullin Demands State Accountability for Alleged Noncitizen Voter Registrations
Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin has prompted a debate over election integrity after the administration announced that more than 250,000 non-U.S. citizens are registered to vote in just four states. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified these potential noncitizens across California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, though the agency has yet to provide a clear methodology for its findings. State election officials have expressed skepticism regarding the data. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar have questioned how the agency obtained sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, since several states have not shared their private voter rolls with the federal government. Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt also requested a detailed explanation of the methodology used to avoid inaccurate results. While the administration maintains that only Americans should elect American leaders, officials fear the unverified numbers could be used as a pretext for federal interference. The administration is currently appealing a ruling that halted the use of a controversial citizenship look-up tool, while states work to ensure no eligible voters are erroneously removed.
Sources
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Trump's noncitizen voter data remains a mystery. But the claims raise midterm fears
NPR
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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.com