Election Expert Blames Automatic Registration for Noncitizens on Voter Rolls; Washington and California Officials Say the Federal Data Is Flawed
J. Christian Adams of the Public Interest Legal Foundation says states are not using the federal SAVE database. Washington's secretary of state calls the Justice Department's findings deficient. Adams says the audits will not change this election.
A conservative election lawyer says noncitizens are reaching voter rolls through automatic registration, while two state officials say the Justice Department's lists are unreliable, Fox News reports.
The charge. J. Christian Adams, president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation, told Fox News Digital: "Noncitizens are getting on the rolls all over the country through the motor voter program. They're going into (the) DMV. Sometimes they're even telling the DMV they're not citizens, and states are still registering them to vote." He pointed to California and Washington, which have automatic voter registration. Fox says federal officials identified more than 20,000 likely noncitizens on California rolls, many with Los Angeles County addresses, and more than 400 suspected cases in Washington.
The tool. Adams said officials refuse to use the Department of Homeland Security's SAVE database, which he called the "best database there is for aliens" and "just sitting there waiting for them to use." He said federal law does not require states to check. He said Florida and North Carolina have used SAVE and found fewer problems, and that his team also found duplicate registrations and registrations tied to deceased residents in California.
The state response. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said the Justice Department's list had "several glaring deficiencies," including U.S. citizens and people not currently registered. Without individualized proof, he said, declining to process a registered voter's ballot would be "irresponsible and illegal." He also called SAVE "unreliable," arguing that a missing citizenship record does not prove immigration status. California's secretary of state said its review of the Los Angeles County data found "significant accuracy problems" and called the lawsuit "a reckless political stunt."
Timing. Adams said the findings will likely not affect this election, because audits normally happen in odd-numbered years and waiting risks losing on a legal defense known as laches. He still applauded the department: "Nobody took noncitizen registration seriously until now."
Note for readers: the numbers are federal allegations that two state offices dispute. Adams is an advocate whose group litigates over voter rolls.