States may have registered more than 30,000 self-identified noncitizens since 2000, Reuters reports

U.S. states may have added more than 30,000 people who identified themselves as noncitizens to voter registration rolls since 2000, according to a Reuters review of official records published Sept. 23. 

The figure covers software glitches and clerical errors at driver’s license and state identification (ID) agencies in a dozen states governed by both Democrats and Republicans. Reuters said it drew on data from the Center for Election Innovation & Research, then verified figures with state officials, court records, and local reports. 

New Jersey reported one of the largest errors, according to Reuters. Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, said in July that a software problem registered roughly 6,600 people between June 2023 and June 2024 even though they answered “no” when asked whether they were U.S. citizens during license or ID applications. Sherrill said a preliminary review showed fewer than 400 of those individuals went on to vote. 

The data also showed errors in California, Illinois, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South ⁠Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Virginia, according to Reuters. 

Reuters also identified errors in California, Illinois, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. In California, state officials previously disclosed that a processing error may have registered as many as 1,500 noncitizens, according to local reports cited by Reuters. California officials did not confirm that figure in response to the news agency’s inquiries.

Virginia’s elections department reported that it canceled more than 4,500 registrations between September 2024 and August 2025 after the registrants identified themselves as noncitizens during a motor vehicle agency process. 

Experts cited by Reuters said the total represents a fraction of the more than 170 million registered voters nationwide and is far too small to affect election outcomes. Reuters could not determine how many of the people it identified cast ballots.

Still, some conservatives have argued that the report is a sign that there are likely more errors... 

Don Palmer, a former chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and now a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Reuters that mistakes at driver’s license agencies are likely a leading reason noncitizens appear on voter rolls. 

He said states should do more to verify eligibility. 

“There's an obligation to fix the problem. So, take the politics out, and fix the problem,” Palmer told the outlet.

The findings come as Republicans have for months pressed for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America, Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register for federal elections and photo identification to vote. 

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, sought to advance legislation containing parts of the SAVE America Act on the Senate Sept. 23, but Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., objected, blocking Lee’s attempt to advance that bill quickly by unanimous consent.

During floor proceedings, Lee said the SAVE America Act has two main objectives: “Let’s make it easy to vote and let’s make it hard to cheat.”

“One requires, at the time of a new voter registration, for you to establish that you are in fact a US citizen,” he explained. “And the second would require that on election day at the time of voting you show up with a voter ID with a photo identification so that you can prove that you are who you claim to be.”

Lee said 83% of Americans support voter ID requirements, yet the Senate is split evenly on the legislation. It’s concerning that the “overwhelming support doesn’t match what elected federal lawmakers believe,” he said.

He argued that people routinely use ID to travel, go to the bank, visit a doctor’s office, and even to use a “never-ending pasta pass from the Olive Garden.”

“The ‘Trust me, bro’ approach does not, should not, must not be allowed to work in the context of our sacred election,” Lee argued. “Not good for America to not have these laws in place.”