Reuters review finds no conspiracy in noncitizen voting cases

Investigative reporter Peter Eisler reviewed 129 prosecutions under the 1996 voting by aliens statute and found no allegations that noncitizens were part of a broader conspiracy to influence election outcomes. The cases stretched back nearly three decades and amounted to a small number of often inadvertent violations, not a coordinated effort.

That gap between the record and the rhetoric sits at the center of Donald J. Trump’s claim that noncitizen voting is rampant in America. The scale of the underlying problem looks very different beside the broader electorate: Census Bureau figures put turnout in the 2024 presidential election at 65.3% of U.S. citizens, while the prosecution record since 1996 totals 129 cases.

The issue has remained active in the policy fight over voter identification, registration rules and citizenship verification. The Department of Homeland Security asked four states to check voter rolls for possible noncitizens on July 17, 2026, and the Justice Department has been part of the push. Supporters of tighter election laws say even rare violations justify stronger safeguards. Critics warn that overstating the problem can lead to unnecessary barriers for eligible voters.

State and private reviews have repeatedly found noncitizen voting to be rare, including reviews in October 2024. That matters because the federal government has limited oversight of elections and states primarily run them, leaving voter-roll maintenance and citizenship checks to state capitals, county offices and courts. In that setting, isolated cases can be turned into sweeping claims, even when the prosecution record shows no broader conspiracy behind them.