Georgia Audit Finds Nine Noncitizens Voted In Past Elections
A recent audit by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger revealed that 20 noncitizens were registered to vote in Georgia, with nine of them having cast ballots in past elections. This audit, initiated in the summer, utilized records from various agencies, including the Georgia Department of Driver Services and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The noncitizens were identified through affidavits signed to dismiss themselves from jury duty, and they hailed from seven counties including Fulton and Cobb. Raffensperger confirmed that all 20 registrations were canceled and referred to local law enforcement for further action. Additionally, the audit flagged 156 individuals for further investigation regarding their citizenship status.
Similar issues have also emerged in other states, with Oregon finding nine noncitizens who voted and over 300 erroneously registered, and Ohio indicting six noncitizens for illegal voting. Despite these findings, some Democrats argue that noncitizen voting is rare. In response, House Republicans have proposed the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, requiring proof of citizenship to register. This legislation, however, faces opposition and has not gained enough support.
The article highlights the ongoing debate regarding voter registration practices and the integrity of elections in the U.S., emphasizing differing perspectives on the prevalence of noncitizen voting and efforts to ensure election security.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Wednesday that an audit of Georgia’s voter rolls found 20 noncitizens registered to vote — and nearly half of them reportedly previously voted in an election.
Raffensperger said the state found 20 noncitizens on its voter rolls after it launched a citizenship audit this summer. The audit also discovered that “nine of those 20 noncitizens cast ballots in the past, while the other 11 were registered but never actually voted,” according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
The secretary said the state used records from “county courts, the Georgia Department of Driver Services, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.” Gabe Sterling, the chief operating officer for the secretary’s office, said the 20 noncitizens on the rolls were discovered after they signed affidavits confirming they were not citizens when seeking dismissal from jury duty. The individuals came from seven Georgia counties: Fulton, Cobb, Bibb, Clayton, Henry, Gwinnett, and DeKalb, Sterling said.
Raffensperger said all 20 voter registrations were canceled and were “being referred to local prosecuting law enforcement.”
The state also discovered 156 people whom Raffensperger says “require[s] additional human investigation” into their citizenship status. Raffensperger said his office opened a “case file into these individuals.”
Several other states have also discovered noncitizens on their voter rolls in recent weeks.
Oregon’s secretary of state recently announced that the state similarly found nine noncitizens who had voted in past elections, along with “more than 300 noncitizens [who] were erroneously registered to vote,” as my colleague Logan Washburn explained. Further investigation revealed the state’s “motor voter” system registered 1,259 potential noncitizens to vote.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Tuesday that his office indicted six noncitizens for allegedly voting in past elections, while Alabama announced in August that it found more than 3,000 potential noncitizens who were registered to vote. Noncitizen voting in federal elections is illegal.
Despite the recent trend, Democrats and the propaganda press continue to insist noncitizen voting is “rare.” But even if the issue were “rare,” that wouldn’t mean it should be swept under the rug. That’s why House Republicans passed the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would amend the 1993 National Voter Registration Act to require individuals to provide documentary proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. Currently, prospective voters must simply check a square box on a federal registration form attesting under penalty of perjury that they are citizens.
Democrats vowed to kill the election integrity bill, with President Joe Biden saying he would oppose the measure should it reach his desk. Republicans tried to shepherd the legislation through by tying it to a continuing resolution to keep the government funded for six months. A majority of House Democrats and 14 Republicans voted against it.
Only one state, Arizona, requires documentary proof of citizenship to vote in statewide elections. Individuals who fail to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote are registered as “federal-only” voters and can only vote in federal elections.
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