An election integrity expert expressed concern on Wednesday about California and Washington after the Justice Department reported thousands of suspected noncitizen voter registrations. This includes instances where individuals informed officials they were not U.S. citizens yet were still registered to vote.
J. Christian Adams, who heads the Public Interest Legal Foundation, attributed the issue to the automatic voter registration systems in these states and the local officials’ reluctance to utilize federal tools for verifying citizenship.
“Noncitizens are getting on the rolls all over the country through the motor voter program,” Adams explained. “They’re going to the DMV, sometimes telling them they’re not citizens, but states are still registering them.” He highlighted that this situation is particularly evident in states like Washington and California, which employ automatic voter registration.
Federal officials reportedly found over 20,000 likely noncitizens on California’s voter lists, particularly in Los Angeles County, along with more than 400 suspected cases in Washington. The timing of these findings is significant as they come just before the November 3 midterm elections.
Washington’s Secretary of State, Steve R. Hobbs, rebuffed the Justice Department’s findings, deeming them flawed. According to Hobbs, the list also included U.S. citizens and individuals not currently registered to vote.
He cautioned, “Without individualized proof of ineligibility, it would be both irresponsible and illegal for election officials to decline to process a registered voter’s ballot.” He invited those with proof to present it so the necessary legal actions could be taken.
Last week, California’s Secretary of State echoed this sentiment, arguing that a review of the DOJ’s data revealed significant accuracy issues. They referred to the situation as potentially damaging to thousands of voters in California, characterizing the DOJ’s actions as perhaps more of a political maneuver than a genuine concern for election integrity.
Adams criticized election officials for not using the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement (SAVE) database to check for noncitizens on the rolls. He described SAVE as an underutilized but effective database, asserting, “They don’t want to check. They don’t have to check.” Notably, he argued that federal law only facilitates access to such data but does not mandate its usage by officials.
Hobbs countered this view by calling the SAVE database unreliable, stating that a lack of name in the database does not reliably indicate immigration status.
Adams voiced further concerns about California’s voter rolls, mentioning issues like duplicate registrations and registrations linked to deceased individuals. He suggested that partisan politics has undermined the integrity of election administration in the state.
This ongoing debate isn’t limited to California and Washington. Adams noted that other states, such as Florida and North Carolina, have utilized the SAVE database and found fewer issues with noncitizen registrations.
Although the Justice Department’s revelations are important, Adams speculated that they may not necessarily influence the upcoming midterm elections. Audits, he explained, typically occur in non-election years to allow time for legal scrutiny, highlighting the challenges involved when addressing such matters right before an election.
Despite the timing concerns, Adams, who previously worked in the DOJ’s Voting Section, appreciated the department’s heightened focus on noncitizen registrations, considering it a positive shift in accountability.
