In Des Moines, Iowa, a recent examination of the state’s voter records revealed that 35 non-U.S. citizens voted in the 2024 general election, even though they were ineligible. Out of more than 1.6 million voters in Iowa, this number is quite small. Furthermore, the office of Iowa’s Secretary of State, Paul Pate, also noticed that 277 noncitizens were registered to vote. This is a minimal fraction when considering the nearly 2.3 million registered voters in the state.
Federal elections legally forbid noncitizens from voting, and there’s minimal evidence to suggest this is widespread. State evaluations, like Iowa’s, demonstrate that it is uncommon for noncitizens to register and a rarity for them to partake in voting. Pate emphasized the importance of protecting the elections’ integrity, noting that even a single case of illegal voting by a noncitizen is excessive. The new findings will be handed over to the state’s Department of Public Safety and the Attorney General to decide on further investigation and the possibility of pressing charges.
These latest figures are significantly smaller than an earlier number of 2,176 reported by Pate’s office last year. This count emerged two weeks before the November 5 election when the voter roster was cross-referenced with a list from the Iowa Department of Transportation, comprising individuals who had reported themselves as noncitizens. At that time, lacking access to federal immigration records, Pate’s office utilized the DOT data as the most reliable resource. However, they now have access to federal records.
A lawsuit filed by four voters and a Hispanic civil rights group accused Pate of infringing on their rights by advising election staff to contest these ballots, seeking a court order to halt the process. Nonetheless, a federal judge allowed Iowa to proceed. Last October, most of the 2,000 flagged individuals had declared to the DOT that they were not citizens but had either registered to vote or participated in elections. With potential naturalizations during the interim, Pate advised that their ballots be challenged and cast provisionally.
Those who cast provisional ballots were given a period to prove their citizenship status, specifically that they had become naturalized citizens. Additionally, the audit identified five noncitizens whose ballots were ultimately disqualified by county evaluators. The topic of noncitizen voting has gained attention from Republican candidates and lawmakers nationwide. Former President Donald Trump notably claimed, without evidence, that Democrats were advocating for illegal immigration to increase voter registration.
Iowa’s voter registration form includes a query about U.S. citizenship and mandates a signed declaration affirming citizenship status, with a warning that lying about this could lead to a felony charge, punishable by up to five years in prison.