Software glitches and clerical errors led to over 30,000 non-citizen registrations on U.S. voter rolls since 2000
A review of state records shows that more than 30,000 self-declared non-citizens were mistakenly added to voter rolls across a dozen states due to processing errors, a number experts say is too small to affect election outcomes.
A review of official records indicates that software glitches and clerical mistakes in driver’s-license and state-ID applications have resulted in the erroneous registration of over 30,000 self-declared non-citizens on voter rolls in at least a dozen states since 2000. The errors were identified in states governed by both major parties, including California, Illinois, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Virginia.
New Jersey reported that a technology glitch added about 6,600 non-citizens to its rolls between June 2023 and June 2024, despite applicants answering “no” to citizenship questions. Similar mistakes have been documented in at least 11 other states, bringing the nationwide total above 30,000, according to data from the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) that was cross-checked with state officials and court records.
"I think that’s the primary issue," said Don Palmer, a senior legal fellow for election integrity at the Heritage Foundation, referring to driver’s-license agencies’ handling of registration data.
"In each of these instances, the individual did exactly what they were supposed to do. If there was some requirement that you had to show proof of citizenship, these problems would still exist, because the processes themselves failed," said David Becker, executive director of CEIR.
Lawmakers are debating the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID to cast a ballot. Critics argue the proposal could disenfranchise voters who lack easy access to passports or birth certificates, while supporters claim it would prevent illegal voting.
Federal prosecutors have charged only 129 individuals under the 1996 “voting by aliens” statute, and none of those cases involved coordinated efforts to influence elections. The White House cited recent arrests of non-citizens for illegal voting as evidence of a broader problem, though officials noted there is no data showing large-scale non-citizen voting.
The underlying issue stems from state motor-voter systems that automatically register individuals when they apply for driver’s licenses or state IDs, a practice established under the 1993 National Voter Registration Act. While all states allow legal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, 19 states and the District of Columbia also issue licenses to undocumented immigrants, creating additional complexity for registration systems.