Ineligible individuals casting ballots in American elections is not widespread enough to shape election outcomes.
Posted by Consider This from NPR, Checked
- Sources
- 1 contradict4 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 80%
Consider This from NPRAug 28, 2026
The claim that ineligible voting is not widespread enough to shape election outcomes is strongly supported by multiple sources, including a 2016 study of 42 jurisdictions finding about 30 suspected noncitizen votes out of 23.5 million, NYT reporting that noncitizen voting has never changed an outcome, and Brennan Center and PolitiFact findings that fraud is rare.
What was said
… It's explicitly a Democratic effort. When Republicans talk about election integrity, which they do, they're not addressing Trump's interventions or proposed interventions in the voting process. They're talking about this more or less imaginary problem of ineligible folks casting ballots in American elections, which investigations and research showed, and has shown over and over again, is not widespread enough in the United States to shape election outcomes. White House spokeswoman Lauren Biss told me, quote, President Trump has been clear, and he is absolutely right: We fix this now, or we lose our country. That's a call to pass his election overhaul legislation, the SAVE America Act. …
Consider This from NPR · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. A nationwide study of 42 jurisdictions found only about 30 suspected noncitizen votes among 23.5 million votes cast in 2016, and the authors say such votes never significantly affected outcomes.[3]
Supports. The New York Times reports that research from partisan and nonpartisan groups shows noncitizen voting has been too rare to change the outcome of any election.[4]
Supports. Brennan Center research found in-person fraud rates of no more than 0.0025 percent and describes voter fraud as exceedingly rare.[5]
Supports. A 2026 opinion column states that investigations, courts and election officials have found no evidence of widespread illegal voting capable of altering outcomes; this is commentary but aligns with the other sources.[6]
Contradicts. The AP reports that the DOJ's list of alleged noncitizen voters in California is largely unreliable and that multiple judges and officials rejected the government's demands, which cuts against claims that ineligible voting is a major problem but does not directly show outcome effects.[1]
Context. Nothing in the sources shows ineligible voting has changed an election outcome; the disagreement concerns how large the problem is and whether the government's lists are accurate.[2][4]
Sources
6 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 1 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1DOJ list of alleged noncitizens on voter rolls rife with ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 2Do outsized voter rolls signify fraud? No, experts say - PolitiFactpolitifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 3NONCITIZEN VOTING: THE MISSING MILLIONScongress.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4How Claims of Widespread Noncitizen Voting Fall Apartnytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 5Dirty Tricks: 9 Falsehoods that Could Undermine the 2020 Electionbrennancenter.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6DeSarno: Election integrity should start with the truth – fraud is raredallasnews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Non-citizen voting has never been found to be a major issue in elections.True
- Illegal immigrants are voting in elections in the United States.True
- Non-citizens are illegally voting in elections.Mixed
- There have been very few cases of in-person voter fraud in all elections over decades.True
- Voter fraud is barely non-existent in the United States.True