Fact Check and Reactions to Trump’s Claims on Voter Fraud and Foreign Election Interference

Fact Check: Noncitizens on Voter Rolls

Recently, former President Trump alleged that hundreds of thousands of noncitizens and deceased individuals are present on voter rolls in states like California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He claimed that this occurs despite elections taking place without voter ID requirements. However, these assertions lack substantial evidence.

The White House had posted a document stating over 250,000 noncitizens are unlawfully registered to vote in four states, based on their audit of public voter rolls.

Issues are present in the White House’s methodology. The document does not specify how the Department of Homeland Security verified these voter rolls without access to protected personal information, such as Social Security and driver’s license numbers, which are crucial for proper verification.

Moreover, the SAVE database, which the document suggests might have been used, is known for errors, as it can incorrectly identify newly naturalized citizens as noncitizens. The database does not determine an individual’s citizenship status but flags them for further evaluation by election officials.

Additionally, the document notes that the database flagged approximately 400,000 deceased voters out of 68 million registrations, representing about 0.5% of reviewed registrations. Such flagged entries must be verified through election officials, often by sending mailers to allow voters to counter the flags.

Voter rolls are meant for registration rather than removal, meaning deceased individuals might remain on the list until periodically updated by officials against records like Social Security death records.

Allegations Against China’s Election Interference

Trump also made allegations regarding China’s interference in U.S. elections, claiming it would be nearly impossible for China to successfully compromise the electoral system.

Joshua Kurlantzick, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, noted that the decentralized nature of U.S. elections makes such interference implausible. It’s too hard because elections are too federalized and too localized, he stated, emphasizing that the U.S. intelligence community has reached the same conclusion multiple times.

Despite China’s significant investment in disinformation and attempts to cultivate local influence, there’s no credible evidence of their success in altering the outcomes of U.S. elections.

New Documents and Reactions

New documents released by Trump administration officials suggest Chinese state-sponsored cyber activities targeted Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign to gather intelligence possibly aiding future operations. However, these documents do not provide concrete evidence of ballots being tampered or U.S. voting systems being compromised.

Some current and former election officials have quickly disputed Trump’s claims. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson characterized Trump’s remarks as debunked and baseless conspiracy theories. Stephen Richer from Maricopa County, Arizona, reiterated the use of auditable paper ballots, asserting any manipulation would be revealed in post-election hand counts.

National intelligence assessments, like the one from March 2021, indicate that China did not pursue efforts to interfere with voting outcomes, opting instead for traditional influence methods.

Critics, including top Democrats, challenged Trump’s statements, labeling them as conspiracy-driven and undermining faith in U.S. election integrity.

Conclusion and Repercussions

While Trump continues advocating for the SAVE America Act citing electoral security, it remains unpopular among both parties and lacks legislative support. Concerns are that his allegations could strain U.S.-China relations and create domestic political tension, particularly in the lead-up to the midterms.