Election officials challenge DHS’s baseless scare tactics about noncitizen voters
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State election officials are demanding transparency after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made sensational and unsubstantiated claims that over 250,000 non-citizens are registered to vote in California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The states denounce the lack of evidence and warn against federal overreach and the use of fear-mongering to undermine democratic participation.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sent alarming letters to secretaries of state in California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, alleging that a so-called preliminary review of public voter rolls identified roughly 118,000 registrations matching non-citizens in DHS records. This is part of a broader, dubious claim that over 250,000 non-citizens are illegally registered in these states. Yet, DHS has refused to disclose how it supposedly matched names, dates of birth, addresses, and Social Security numbers—especially since public voter rolls do not even contain Social Security data.
State officials have responded forcefully, demanding transparency and accountability. Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar called out DHS’s hypocrisy, stating, "You're suing me because I wouldn't give you that data, that information. So where did you get it? How did you get it? And is it reliable?" California Secretary of State Shirley Weber emphasized that her office never shared voter registration lists with DHS and expressed deep skepticism about the agency’s data. The states’ letters also questioned whether artificial intelligence was used and reminded the federal government of the National Voter Registration Act’s 90-day 'quiet period' before the November midterms—a safeguard against last-minute political interference.
Election experts have repeatedly shown that efforts to identify non-citizens on voter rolls often result in false positives, especially when unique identifiers like Social Security numbers are missing. David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, dismissed the DHS numbers as fabricated until proven otherwise: "These numbers, until they're backed up by any kind of clear, transparent methodology, should be considered made up."
The DHS analysis appears to be based on a questionable data-sharing agreement with the Justice Department, possibly using the SAVE system before a federal judge halted its use. A DOJ letter referenced a partnership allowing DHS to append Social Security or immigration identifiers to voter data, but officials warned this would likely produce inaccurate matches and further confusion.
This manufactured controversy has sparked concerns that the unsubstantiated figures could be weaponized as a pretext for federal intervention in state-run elections, including possible subpoenas or ballot seizures after the election. An anonymous state official warned that such actions could disrupt close races and impede ballot counting. Scholars note that the administration’s actions seem designed to sow doubt and suppress voter confidence, though any intervention would still require judicial approval.
DHS has stonewalled requests for methodological details. While the agency claims it wants to help states verify registrations, its refusal to provide specific voter names and the suspicious timing of its outreach—just before the quiet period—raise serious questions about its true motives and the potential for voter suppression.