CREW requests records on Census Bureau’s report alleging noncitizen voting

CREW is requesting records on an expedited basis from the Department of Commerce regarding the factual basis of the Census Bureau’s recent claims that more than 24,000 noncitizens illegally voted in the 2020 general election. 

Last week, the Census Bureau posted a report to its website that claims to have analyzed nearly 128 million out of 160 million individual voter records in the 2020 election and found over 24,000 of those votes were cast by noncitizens. The report prompted President Trump and other White House officials to tout the findings as evidence of widespread voter fraud, with Trump even taking to Truth Social to once more assert himself as the true victor of the 2020 election. Both President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have speculated that the remaining 32 million voter records will reveal additional proof of noncitizen voting.

Media coverage, however, has been largely critical, questioning the report’s methodology, sourcing and accuracy in addition to the Census Bureau’s coordination with non-governmental organizations. The Census report also raises privacy concerns, making clear that its sources included highly-sensitive personally identifiable information, including the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services record system, State Department immigrant and nonimmigrant visa insurances, ICE records, DACA approvals and the Social Security Administration’s citizenship codes. In addition to the Census report’s usage of this data, recent reporting indicates that non-governmental third parties also contributed to the report. According to NPR, the team that worked on the report included individuals from the America First Policy Institute, a think tank started by officials from Trump’s first term. This outside involvement raises Privacy Act concerns about the confidentiality and security of sensitive voter information. The public needs immediate clarity about how the Department of Commerce is using sensitive voter data and whether that data is being improperly shared with entities outside of the government. 

Ahead of this fall’s elections, there is urgent public interest in understanding the reliability of this ongoing effort, and it is imperative that these records are fully and expeditiously processed.