Documents show attempts by aliens to vote in person and cast mail ballots
(Alexandria, VA) – October 29, 2024: The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) released a summary of alien voting records obtained from Alameda County (Oakland, CA) election officials. After the county refused to disclose these records, PILF filed a lawsuit in February 2024. As part of a settlement agreement, the County released these records.
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. Unfortunately, these aliens often remain on the voter roll for years until they try to naturalize and ask election officials to remove them.
ALAMEDA COUNTY ALIEN VOTING BY THE NUMBERS:
- Total Disclosed Cancellations for Non-Citizenship: 54
- Years with Most Registrations Cancelled: 2023 (18)
- Earliest Known Year of Registration: 2004
- Longest Known Period of Registration: 14 years
- Average Time on Voter Roll: Four years
One of the documents disclosed to PILF (pictured below) reveals an alien’s ineligibility was discovered at the polling place during the 2016 Presidential Election. The individual was seeking a provisional ballot after their original mail ballot was lost.
“States should enact safeguards against noncitizens registering and voting,” said PILF President, J. Christian Adams. “These records show incompetence by election officials. When someone admits they are not a U.S. citizen, they should never be registered to vote. California has the resources and data to better verify citizenship in voter registration if only Governor Newsom had a willingness to act.”
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 Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, California, Texas, Massachusetts, and sanctuary cities across the nation. PILF has brought and won federal trial and appellate court cases in North Carolina and Texas to secure access to records relating to foreign nationals registering and voting. This research has repeatedly revealed that the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) or Motor Voter is the most common pathway for foreign nationals to get registered to vote.
These records were only obtained after PILF filed a lawsuit against Alameda County for violating the NVRA’s disclosure provision. PILF Attorneys in this case against Alameda County were Maureen Riordan, Kaylan Phillips, and Noel Johnson. Alexander Haberbush of the Lex Rex Institute served as local counsel.
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