By Marguerite Adelman
The League of Women Voters of Vermont works to dispel mis- and disinformation around the lore of noncitizen voting.
Recently, the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) conducted the first rigorous research (https://electioninnovation.org/research/noncitizen-analysis-update), analyzing government, media, and other public sources in all 50 states. It compiled an expansive list of allegations of noncitizen registration and voting, as well as the results of official investigations into such allegations. The results reveal three notable insights:
- No “apples to apples” comparisons: Allegations about noncitizen registration and voting vary significantly across states. Some states announce the number of records flagged by cursory reviews for possible noncitizen registrants, producing larger numbers when compared to states that only publish the number of records removed after a thorough investigation, invariably a far smaller number. These inconsistent methods contribute to the confusion in public discourse.
- Scrutiny almost always shrinks claims: Claims of large numbers are significantly reduced after proper investigation and scrutiny often reveal that initial claims were based in part on outdated, incomplete, or improperly matched data.
- Claims represent tiny fractions of voters: Even the largest numbers never amount to more than a few tenths of a percent of the number of eligible voters in a state. This indicates that existing safeguards are effective.
It’s worth noting, once again, that the notion of widespread noncitizen voting is a lie. States have multiple systems in place to prevent it from happening. Noncitizen voting is illegal, and incredibly rare. Political operatives are stirring these rumors for their own gain and at the expense of voter accessibility for U.S. citizens.