Foreign Nationals Voting in American Elections
Foreign nationals register to vote and cast ballots far more often than you would think. PILF has been documenting this problem over the past decade in states across the country.
We regularly collect government records of foreigners writing to election officials admitting that they should not have been registered to vote and asking to be removed from the voter roll.
The naturalization process requires aliens to disclose whether they have been registered to vote. If applicants lie about this easily verifiable question, they risk not being able to become a citizen as well as outright deportation. So, there is an incentive for foreigners to seek removal from the voter rolls, and that’s why so many records of foreigners asking to be removed from the rolls exist. These cancel requests generate most of the paper trails about foreign nationals on the voter rolls.
We can’t catalog the number of foreigners who never send those requests but remain on the voter rolls. Nobody can because nobody has a single database of citizens or foreigners that can be used for election administration.
This we can say for certain: Foreigners are on the voter rolls across the United States.
How are Foreigners getting on the voter roll?
The number one cause of foreigners getting on voter rolls is Motor Voter. Motor Voter, more formally known as the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), is the federal law that requires state DMV offices to offer voter registration.
Sometimes election officials are to blame. In some states, if the citizenship question is left blank, election officials register the applicant anyway. Across other states, we’ve collected staggering numbers of voter registration forms where the registrant answered “No” to the citizenship question, but the government still registered them to vote.
States adopting automatic voter registration risk making these problems even worse.
The cause for improper registration can arise from something as simple as checking the wrong box or signing the wrong form handed out by a state employee—sometimes in a different language. If an applicant fills out the federal Motor Voter registration form completely, they must be registered to vote, period. States cannot seek documentary proof of citizenship before registering the applicant. Only an honor system prevents foreign citizens from easily registering to vote. All they need to do is mark the box “yes” that they are a United States citizen.
What Congress can do to stop Foreigners from Registering to Vote
Congress can easily solve this problem by allowing states to validate citizenship effectively. This could be as easy as providing a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization certificate when registering to vote.
Another straightforward fix is for Congress to add citizenship to the National Voter Registration Act’s reasonable list maintenance requirements. States would have an obligation to reasonably maintain voter rolls free from foreigners. Currently, the law only requires states to have a “reasonable” program to remove deceased individuals and people who have moved from the voter roll.
We have to change the status quo where a state is required to do nothing under federal law to prevent foreigners from registering to vote. As it stands, the status quo harms citizens and immigrants alike.
REPORTS
We have released reports based on government records from jurisdictions across the county that detail foreign nationals registering to vote and casting ballots in our elections.
Fighting for Transparency Regarding Foreigners’ Voting
PILF has a proven track record of forcing election officials to disclose documents relating to foreigners registering and voting. Under the National Voter Registration Act, the public has a right to inspect these records. We sue states and jurisdictions that refuse to disclose these documents.
California
In February 2024, we filed a federal lawsuit against Timothy Dupuis, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, for refusing to disclose records relating to foreign nationals registering and voting. Under Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the public has a right to inspect these records.
In October 2024, Alameda County settled the lawsuit and handed over the alien voting records to PILF. These records show foreign nationals born in China and other countries were registered to vote even when they were honest about not being United States citizens.
Pennsylvania
We are fighting Pennsylvania in federal court to obtain records relating to the registration of foreigners at PennDOT offices for more than two decades.
In 2017, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Robert Torres made the shocking announcement that foreign nationals had been registering to vote in Commonwealth elections for decades.
Al Schmidt, then a member of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, testified before the Pennsylvania Senate that he was briefed by State Department officials on a department study that identified more than 100,000 registered voters who may have lacked U.S. citizenship at the time of their additions to the voter roll. Additionally, Schmidt demanded transparency and called on the department to release the details of their findings to county election boards.
Following Schmidt’s testimony, the Public Interest Legal Foundation requested under the National Voter Registration Act that the State Department provide documents showing the extent of the problem and what was done to fix it. When Torres refused the request, the Foundation sued in federal court.
Five years and three Pennsylvania Secretaries of State later, the Commonwealth is still fighting to keep these records from the public. In an ironic turn of events, the Secretary of State is now Al Schmidt. Where is the transparency he called for in 2017?
Although we won this case in the district court, Secretary Schmidt has appealed it to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
North Carolina
PILF filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina State Board of Elections for failing to disclose records showing foreign national registering and voting. The requests followed multiple indictments secured by U.S. Attorneys around the state involving alleged alien voting and identity theft. In 2021, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in PILF’s favor, marking an important victory for the public’s right to know about election vulnerabilities. We received the documents and published a report detailing our findings.
Harris County, TX
For years, Harris County election officials had testified before Congress and the Texas Legislature about how various bills could, if enacted, worsen the problem of foreign nationals becoming registered in the Houston area. PILF requested to see records detailing the problem. After the county refused to disclose the records, we sued them for violating the National Voter Registration Act. After two years of litigation and the court’s refusal to dismiss the case, we reached a settlement agreement to receive the records.
Harris County, TX
For years, Harris County election officials had testified before Congress and the Texas Legislature about how various bills could, if enacted, worsen the problem of foreign nationals becoming registered in the Houston area. PILF requested to see records detailing the problem. After the county refused to disclose the records, we sued them for violating the National Voter Registration Act. After two years of litigation and the court’s refusal to dismiss the case, we reached a settlement agreement to receive the records.
Fighting in the Courts to Stop the Left’s Push to Allow Foreigners to Vote
New York City and Washington, D.C. have passed laws allowing foreign nationals to vote in municipal elections. This undermines the meaning of citizenship and is an insult to black Americans who fought to have their voices heard at the ballot box for over a century and to all the people who obeyed our laws and studied to become citizens.
Expanding the electorate to foreign citizens undermines the very notion of citizenship. With citizenship comes loyalty to America and a shared interest in the future of the country. Foreign nationals have no investment in the future of America.
Only Americans should be choosing American leaders. The real foreign interference in our elections happens when we allow foreign nationals to vote in American elections. We must protect the cherished right to vote and stop letting American citizens’ votes be diluted by foreign nationals.
PILF is fighting these foreign citizen voting laws in court. We filed a federal lawsuit against the New York City Board of Elections arguing the city’s law violates the Voting Rights Act and the 15th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Media Highlights
TV and Radio Interviews
Articles and Editorials
“States should enact safeguards against noncitizens registering and voting,” Adams said. “These records show incompetence by election officials. When someone admits they are not a U.S. citizen, they should never be registered to vote.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://thefederalist.com/2024/10/29/california-election-officials-registered-self-confessed-noncitizens-vote-report/” button_link_target=”on” img_width=”65%” _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://thefederalist.com/2024/10/29/california-election-officials-registered-self-confessed-noncitizens-vote-report/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”Boston Real Clear” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/rci-home-logo.png?_t=1728505547″ text_title=”How Deep-Blue Boston Could Be a National Model on Preventing Noncitizen Voting” desc_text=”
New England’s largest city—although commonly viewed as a liberal bastion—could serve as a national model on preventing noncitizen voting by cleaning up voter rolls, according to new findings by Public Interest Legal Foundation, a conservative watchdog group.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2024/05/15/investigative_issues_how_deep-blue_boston_could_be_a_national_model_on_preventing_noncitizen_voting_1031682.html” button_link_target=”on” img_width=”100%” _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2024/05/15/investigative_issues_how_deep-blue_boston_could_be_a_national_model_on_preventing_noncitizen_voting_1031682.html” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”CA Lawsuit ” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Newsmax_logo.png?_t=1711642899″ text_title=”Watchdog Sues California County for Noncitizen Voter Records” desc_text=”
The concerns about noncitizens voting come as nearly 2.5 million migrants were encountered trying to illegally cross the U.S. southern border during fiscal year 2023, breaking the record of the previous year.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://www.newsmax.com/politics/california-illegal-immigrants-voting/2024/02/08/id/1152902/” button_link_target=”on” img_width=”100%” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://www.newsmax.com/politics/california-illegal-immigrants-voting/2024/02/08/id/1152902/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”NYC Win” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Federalist-logo.png?_t=1711642347″ text_title=”‘Null And Void’: Court Declares New York City Law Letting Noncitizens Vote Is Unconstitutional” desc_text=”
Public Interest Legal Foundation president J. Christian Adams said the ruling “marks an important step to stop foreign interference in New York City’s elections.”
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://thefederalist.com/2024/02/23/null-and-void-court-declares-new-york-city-law-letting-noncitizens-vote-is-unconstitutional/” button_link_target=”on” img_width=”65%” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://thefederalist.com/2024/02/23/null-and-void-court-declares-new-york-city-law-letting-noncitizens-vote-is-unconstitutional/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”Noel Pittsburgh Gazette Op-ed” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Pittsbugh-Post-Gazette.png?_t=1698091713″ text_title=”Johnson and Kerns: How many foreign citizens voted in Pa. elections? The secretary of state can tell us.” desc_text=”
In 2017, Al Schmidt demanded action and transparency from the State Department. As secretary, he is now in a position to meet his own demands. Your move, Secretary.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2023/03/14/al-schmidt-aliens/stories/202303100005″ button_link_target=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://www.post-gazetet.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2023/03/14/al-schmidt-aliens/stories/202303100005″ link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”Daily Signal JCA Op-ed Motor Voter 30 years later” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Daily-Signal.png?_t=1698085989″ text_title=”J. Christian Adams: Motor Voter Law 30 Years Later” desc_text=”
Motor Voter is showing signs of wear. It has made American elections on one hand less secure, while on the other hand, more transparent. It created unforeseen consequences and failures worse than the opponents imagined.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link_target=”on” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/05/25/motor-voter-law-30-years-later/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”JCA Trib Op-ed on Automatic Voter Registration ” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Trib-Live-Logo.png?_t=1698269500″ text_title=”J. Christian Adams: Automatic Voter Registration Will Lead to Foreign Nationals Getting on Voter Rolls” desc_text=”
When Pennsylvania refuses to be transparent about past errors regarding registering foreign nationals, they should not be going to an automatic voter registration system that will greatly increase the risk of foreign nationals ending up on the voter roll.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://triblive.com/opinion/j-christian-adams-automatic-voter-registration-will-lead-to-foreign-nationals-getting-on-voter-rolls/” button_link_target=”on” img_width=”45%” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://triblive.com/opinion/j-christian-adams-automatic-voter-registration-will-lead-to-foreign-nationals-getting-on-voter-rolls/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”Washington Times Maricopa Story” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/WashingtonTimesLogo.png?_t=1698090916″ text_title=”Hundreds of noncitizens ended up on voting rolls in Maricopa County” desc_text=”
“There’s an incentive built into the naturalization process to tell the truth about registering to vote,%22 J. Christian Adams said. Mr. Adams said there is no guessing about how many others haven’t come forward.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/apr/25/hundreds-noncitizens-ended-voting-rolls-maricopa-c/” button_link_target=”on” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/apr/25/hundreds-noncitizens-ended-voting-rolls-maricopa-c/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”American Greatness JCA Op-ed Motor Voter Needs Modernization Now” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/download.png?_t=1698090657″ text_title=”J. Christian Adams: Motor Voter Needs Modernization ” desc_text=”
Another straightforward fix is for Congress to add citizenship to the National Voter Registration Act’s reasonable list maintenance requirements for states. States would have an obligation to reasonably maintain voter rolls free from foreigners.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://amgreatness.com/2023/05/03/motor-voter-needs-modernization-now/” button_link_target=”on” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://amgreatness.com/2023/05/03/motor-voter-needs-modernization-now/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”Brietbar Chicago Report” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Breitbart-Logo.png?_t=1698091239″ text_title=”Nearly 400 Foreigners Found on Chicago’s Voter Rolls Since 2007″ desc_text=”
According to the documents from PILF, a foreign national clearly stated that she was not an American citizen and mistakenly wrote that she was born in 2019, the date of the application. Still, election officials seemingly registered the woman to vote.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/05/23/exclusive-30-years-of-motor-voter-law-nearly-400-foreigners-found-on-chicagos-voter-rolls-since-2007/” button_link_target=”on” img_width=”85%” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/05/23/exclusive-30-years-of-motor-voter-law-nearly-400-foreigners-found-on-chicagos-voter-rolls-since-2007/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”Federalist JCA op-ed on laws allowing foreigners to vote” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Federalist-logo.png?_t=1698093800″ text_title=”J. Christian Adams: Letting Noncitizens Vote In U.S. Elections Is Foreign Interference” desc_text=”
The real foreign interference in our elections happens when we allow foreign nationals to vote in them.We need to stop a llowing people who can leave our country at any moment to have a say in its future.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://thefederalist.com/2023/03/17/letting-noncitizens-vote-in-u-s-elections-is-foreign-interference/” button_link_target=”on” img_width=”65%” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://thefederalist.com/2023/03/17/letting-noncitizens-vote-in-u-s-elections-is-foreign-interference/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”NY Post Lawsuit Story ” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NYP_New_York_Post_logo_wordmark.png?_t=1698093428″ text_title=”Lawsuit: NYC immigrant voting law favors Hispanics, Asians over Blacks” desc_text=”
J. Christian Adams, president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation, a nonprofit representing the plaintiffs, said the process of getting the new law passed was “infested with racial motivation.”
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://nypost.com/2022/02/05/lawsuit-nyc-immigrant-voting-law-favors-hispanics-asians-over-blacks/” button_link_target=”on” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://nypost.com/2022/02/05/lawsuit-nyc-immigrant-voting-law-favors-hispanics-asians-over-blacks/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”Alliens Voting” img_src=”https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0405/3281/t/4/assets/fpm_logo_square_white.webp” text_title=”Aliens Voting” desc_text=”
With a record number of aliens entering the country, we must take action to ensure they are not registering and voting this November. We’ve seen the invasion at the southern border. We have to stop the invasion of our voter rolls.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://www.frontpagemag.com/aliens-are-voting/” button_link_target=”on” img_width=”30%” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://www.frontpagemag.com/aliens-are-voting/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”Carolina Journal NC Win” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CJ-Logo.png?_t=1698093105″ text_title=”PILF, N.C. Elections Board Reach Settlement over Foreigners’ Voting Records” desc_text=”
The state elections board, PILF says in a news release, agreed to settle the case after a federal appellate court ruled that the registration act requires disclosure of documents relating to noncitizens registering and voting.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://www.carolinajournal.com/public-interest-legal-foundation-n-c-elections-board-reach-settlement-over-foreigners-voting-records/” button_link_target=”on” img_width=”60%” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://www.carolinajournal.com/public-interest-legal-foundation-n-c-elections-board-reach-settlement-over-foreigners-voting-records/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][/dmpro_carousel_child][dmpro_carousel_child title=”Washington Times Maricopa Story” img_src=”https://publicinterestlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/WashingtonTimesLogo.png?_t=1698090916″ text_title=”J. Christian Adams: Foreign election interference is Noncitizens at the polls” desc_text=”
For all their breathless concerns about foreign interference in American elections, progressives have no interest in fixing federal law that allows foreigners to get registered to vote. They also have no interest in the truth being told about the aliens who do vote.
” show_button=”on” carousel_button_text=”Read More” button_link=”https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/nov/2/foreign-election-interference-noncitizens-polls/” button_link_target=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/nov/2/foreign-election-interference-noncitizens-polls/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][/dmpro_carousel_child][/dmpro_carousel]