This year marks the 30th anniversary of Motor Voter, the law has led to DMVs being the most common cause of foreign nationals getting registered to vote.

(Alexandria, VA) – April 26, 2023: The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) released a summary of a Maricopa County, Arizona, database report detailing 222 individuals who were cancelled from the voter registration roll due to non-U.S. citizenship. From this group, 9 individuals are recorded casting 12 ballots across 4 federal elections.

Most foreigners are registered through Motor Voter around the country. The process can be as simple as checking the wrong box or signing the wrong form handed to you by a state employee – sometimes in a different language. This mistake can even lead to their deportation.  

“Motor Voter leads to problems for immigrants across America,” said PILF President, J. Christian Adams. “Signing the wrong form at the DMV can haunt you years later when your naturalization process switches to deportation. For 30 years, foreign nationals have been getting registered to vote. Congress must modernize Motor Voter to reflect the technologies and demographics of today.”

For nearly a decade, PILF has harvested government records of noncitizen voter cancellation reports generated by local officials. These studies were carried out in places like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Nevada, California, Texas, and sanctuary cities across the nation. PILF has brought and won federal trial and appellate court cases in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas to secure access to records relating to foreign nationals registering and voting.

Read the full report here.

Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is the nation’s only public interest law firm dedicated wholly to election integrity. The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF seeks to protect the right to vote and preserve the Constitutional framework of American elections. PILF has brought lawsuits and won victories in Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and across the United States.

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For media inquiries, please reach out to Lbowman@publicinterestlegal.org