U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin asked election officials in California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania to verify voter rolls for non-citizens. The Department of Homeland Security cited preliminary figures identifying over 250,000 potential non-citizens registered across the four states following a presidential address on election integrity.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin wrote to top election officials in California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, requesting that they check voter rolls for people who are not U.S. citizens. The letters followed a prime-time address on election security by President Donald Trump. In a statement released on a Friday, the Department of Homeland Security reported identifying more than 250,000 potential non-citizens registered to vote across the four targeted states.
Department of Homeland Security Figures and State Breakdown
The federal review utilized name and birthdate matches, federal immigration records, addresses, and Social Security numbers to cross-check voter databases. According to dailysignal.com, the Department of Homeland Security estimated that California, the nation’s most populous state, had as many as 190,832 noncitizens registered on its voter rolls. Nevada showed as many as 15,903 registered noncitizens, and Pennsylvania recorded as many as 14,576. In New Jersey, the agency found as many as 35,152 noncitizens registered to vote, bringing the total across the four states to approximately 256,463 potential non-citizen registrations.
“I hope that you share in the commitment to ensure that only U.S. citizens participate in our federal elections, Allowing just one non-citizen to vote cancels the vote of one U.S. citizen. States are responsible for voter registration, and the federal government is responsible for maintaining immigration records to enable verification of citizenship. Working together, we can more effectively protect U.S. elections.”
Mullin asked the secretaries of state to respond within two weeks to confirm their cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security on election security measures. None of the four primary states targeted in the letters participated in the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database to cross-check their voter registration lists. Separately, 25 other states used the SAVE database to cross-check more than 68 million voter registration records, finding 28,000 registered noncitizens, though only 10 of those states fully processed their data through the system.
Divergent State Responses Across California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey
State election officials reacted differently to the federal inquiry. A spokesperson for California Secretary of State Shirley Weber stated that the letter is currently in review and that the office would share further information later. In Nevada, Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar issued a direct pushback.
“We refute these claims. These numbers are wildly speculative at best and the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t shared anything that backs it up, There are numerous safeguards in place to prevent noncitizens, or anyone ineligible to vote, from casting a ballot. The administration lacks a fundamental understanding of how elections work.”
Francisco Aguilar, Nevada Secretary of State
In Pennsylvania, Secretary of State Al Schmidt—appointed by Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro—said he would review any information provided by DHS so that we can evaluate the validity of these claims. Schmidt emphasized existing identity verification requirements, noting that every Pennsylvania voter must provide proper identification when registering, voting by mail, or voting at a new polling place. He added that all available evidence indicates noncitizen voting remains extremely rare.
New Jersey Concedes Software Error Tied to Motor Vehicle Registrations
New Jersey stood alone among the four states in acknowledging a registration issue. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill stated that 6,600 noncitizens were registered through the state motor vehicles department due to a software error, though fewer than 400 had actually cast a ballot.
Watkins: No Evidence of Widespread Noncitizens on Voter Rolls
“This happened under the previous administration and, upon learning this information, I immediately ordered my chief counsel to launch an investigation to get to the bottom of what occurred, Initial analysis shows that fewer than 400 newly registered individuals voted in an election due to this software error. They were registered as Democrats, Republicans, and the majority unaffiliated, and were scattered across the state.”
Photo: dailysignal.com
Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Governor
Sherrill blamed the administration of former Governor Phil Murphy for the registrations. Meanwhile, the France-based contractor managing the software for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, IDEMIA, maintained that the system operated correctly and that state agencies should have caught the discrepancy. The Department of Homeland Security continues to press for passage of the federal SAVE America Act, which requires additional voter identification and citizenship documentation, even as state officials examine the validity of the data rolls.
DHS says 250K+ possible noncitizen voter registrations were found, urging states to verify rolls.
