Trump falsely claims noncitizen voter fraud is widespread. Here are 5 facts.

During nan 2024 statesmanlike race, erstwhile President Donald Trump and his allies, including X proprietor Elon Musk, person promoted an unfounded conspiracy mentation that undocumented migrants are being allowed into nan U.S. to vote.

Trump's mendacious claims of wide elector fraud by undocumented immigrants are not new. In 2020, aft losing his reelection bid, he alleged that tens of thousands of noncitizens voted successful nan battleground authorities of Arizona, which predetermination officials location disputed. Trump made similar claims astir forbidden voting arsenic acold backmost arsenic 2014.

Voter fraud by noncitizens — including some lawful migrant residents and those present illegally — is very rare, experts person found, and studies person recovered no evidence of wide noncitizen voting successful erstwhile elections. Ahead of nan 2024 wide election, present are cardinal facts to know.

Undocumented migrant voting is rare

Multiple studies and investigations person concluded location person been very fewer instances of noncitizens voting successful national elections successful modern history.

After nan 2016 election, analysis by nan nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice recovered 30 cases of suspected noncitizens voting reported by predetermination officials retired of 23.5 cardinal votes formed successful nan 42 jurisdictions reviewed. 

A Washington Post analysis of nan blimpish Heritage Foundation's database of elector fraud cases brought by prosecutors recovered conscionable 85 cases involving allegations of noncitizen voting complete a two-decade play from 2002 to 2023.

The information indicates noncitizen voting is not going to sway nan predetermination result this November, according to Alice Clapman, elder counsel for voting authorities astatine nan Brennan Center.  

"You look astatine nan separator betwixt candidates successful a statesmanlike election, and it is vastly much than moreover nan astir inflated fig of nan fistful of noncitizens who person been recovered to person voted," Clapman said. 

There are terrible penalties for noncitizens who effort to ballot illegally 

It is illegal for noncitizens to ballot successful national elections. Violators consequence not only deportation, but fines and up to 1 twelvemonth successful national prison. Additionally, falsely claiming U.S. citizenship while registering to ballot tin consequence successful imprisonment for up to 5 years.

If noncitizens perpetrate elector fraud, they create authorities records of their actions — meaning it's imaginable for them to beryllium caught.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers are told to cheque nationalist elector files during nan naturalization process to spot if applicants person attempted to vote, according to nan Brennan Center. 

"If personification is undocumented, they want thing to do pinch thing that would bring them to nan attraction of authorities, aliases jeopardize their position if they person impermanent status," Clapman said.

People must attest that they are U.S. citizens erstwhile registering to vote

When registering to vote, individuals must attest to their U.S. citizenship nether punishment of perjury connected nan national voter registration form.

The shape does not require archiving aliases impervious of citizenship, but national rule requires voters to supply a driver's licence number aliases nan past 4 digits of their Social Security number astatine minimum to registry successful each state. 

Some noncitizens authorized to activity successful nan United States by nan Department of Homeland Security tin person a Social Security number, according to nan federal agency, and unauthorized immigrants tin get driver's licenses successful 19 states.

But states cross-check accusation of elector registration applicants pinch authorities and national databases to support noncitizens disconnected elector rolls, according to David Becker, executive head of nan Center of Election Innovation and Research and CBS News' predetermination rule contributor.

"If you person a driver's licence number and it turns retired you've sewage a greenish card, nan DMV has that," Becker said. "Are location instances erstwhile group autumn done nan cracks? Yes. But this is why erstwhile Republican states effort to look for noncitizens voting, they find incredibly debased numbers."

Ineligible voters are regularly removed from authorities elector rolls 

The national authorities has required states to regularly support elector rolls since nan transition of nan National Voter Registration Act successful 1993. This attraction process removes ineligible voters, often those who person died aliases moved.

States besides effort to emblem noncitizens who whitethorn person been added to elector rolls successful error. As portion of this process, immoderate states verify citizenship by cross-checking elector accusation pinch databases for illustration nan national SAVE program, which tin corroborate U.S. citizenship. 

It takes years for immigrants to go naturalized citizens

Trump and Musk person many times implied that migrants entering nan U.S. nether nan Biden management tin quickly summation voting eligibility successful clip for nan 2024 election, but this is misleading.

By national law, a noncitizen must unrecorded successful nan United States for astatine slightest 5 years — aliases 3 years if you are joined to a U.S. national — arsenic a ineligible imperishable resident (green paper holder) earlier they tin use for citizenship. 

Applicants must meet definite eligibility requirements to person a greenish paper successful nan first place, and nan immense mostly of applicants never person one, according to study of national information by nan Cato Institute, a blimpish deliberation tank.

In caller years, nan Biden-Harris management has implemented much restrictive asylum rules that person made it moreover much difficult for migrants to prosecute asylum and an eventual way to citizenship. 

In:
• Voting
• Donald Trump
• Politics
• 2024 Elections