Trump’s Favorite Voting Conspiracy Just Fell Apart
Donald Trump’s latest election interference fearmongering has turned out to be another nothingburger.A statewide audit of Georgia’s 8.2 million registered voters uncovered 20 noncitizens, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger shared on Wednesday.Nine out of the 20 noncitizen registrations had participated in elections years ago, before ID was required as a part of the voter verification process. The other 11 individuals were registered but never actually voted, reported The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Election officials canceled the registrations and subsequently reported the individuals to law enforcement.“We are committed to ensuring that only U.S. citizens can vote in our elections through rigorous citizenship verification at the front end, and in maintaining the cleanest voter rolls in the nation through continuous list maintenance,” Raffensperger said in a statement obtained by the Journal-Constitution.As part of his election conspiracy, Trump has campaigned on the notion that noncitizen voters are upending the presidential election results and, by extension, American democracy in favor of the Democratic Party. But his focus on the issue belies the fact that it is, of course, already illegal and impossible for non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections, including in Georgia, where the individuals who fell through the cracks in the system account for just 0.00024390243902439 percent of the state’s voting population.An additional 156 people could not have their citizenship status determined. They will be further investigated by the secretary of state’s office, Raffensperger announced.A prior audit conducted two years ago in Georgia found no evidence of noncitizen voting. The latest audit was more comprehensive, relying on voters’ affidavits from when they were called to jury duty.“Although Georgia is well into the early voting period, we hope that his findings and transparency will help bolster voter confidence,” Kelly Loeffler, a former Republican U.S. senator, told the Journal-Constitution.
Donald Trump’s latest election interference fearmongering has turned out to be another nothingburger.
A statewide audit of Georgia’s 8.2 million registered voters uncovered 20 noncitizens, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger shared on Wednesday.
Nine out of the 20 noncitizen registrations had participated in elections years ago, before ID was required as a part of the voter verification process. The other 11 individuals were registered but never actually voted, reported The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Election officials canceled the registrations and subsequently reported the individuals to law enforcement.
“We are committed to ensuring that only U.S. citizens can vote in our elections through rigorous citizenship verification at the front end, and in maintaining the cleanest voter rolls in the nation through continuous list maintenance,” Raffensperger said in a statement obtained by the Journal-Constitution.
As part of his election conspiracy, Trump has campaigned on the notion that noncitizen voters are upending the presidential election results and, by extension, American democracy in favor of the Democratic Party. But his focus on the issue belies the fact that it is, of course, already illegal and impossible for non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections, including in Georgia, where the individuals who fell through the cracks in the system account for just 0.00024390243902439 percent of the state’s voting population.
An additional 156 people could not have their citizenship status determined. They will be further investigated by the secretary of state’s office, Raffensperger announced.
A prior audit conducted two years ago in Georgia found no evidence of noncitizen voting. The latest audit was more comprehensive, relying on voters’ affidavits from when they were called to jury duty.
“Although Georgia is well into the early voting period, we hope that his findings and transparency will help bolster voter confidence,” Kelly Loeffler, a former Republican U.S. senator, told the Journal-Constitution.
