Trump admin says 250K non-citizens registered to vote in 4 states, Iowa audit found 277

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin this week doubled down on President Donald Trump's claim that more than a quarter-million non-citizens are registered to vote in four states, even as the administration has yet to release its full methodology. The announcement comes as Iowa's own audit found 277 non-citizens on its voter rolls, with 35 casting ballots in the 2024 election.

Speaking after Trump's national address on election security, Mullin said the alleged 250,000 non-citizen registrations were concentrated in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada. Those four states have refused to comply with federal demands to hand over voter data.

In 23 states that are cooperating with the Trump administration and ran their voter records through an upgraded federal database, Mullin said an additional 28,000 non-citizens were found registered to vote.

But CBS News reported the claims may be exaggerated. The 250,000 figure was based on commercial databases, a method that election expert David Becker said is likely to produce false positives. 'I guarantee you, that data includes a ton of people, maybe even a majority of people, who are absolutely eligible voters,' Becker said.

What Iowa's audit found

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate's office identified 277 confirmed non-citizens registered to vote, with 35 actually casting ballots in the 2024 general election. Five non-citizens tried to vote but were rejected. Iowa has more than 2.1 million registered voters.

That figure is small relative to the state's total voter rolls but underscores the reality that non-citizen voting, while rare, does occur. Federal law already prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections, and no state allows them to vote in statewide contests.

How the 250,000 figure compares nationally

The Trump administration's estimate of 250,000 non-citizen registrations across four states represents about 0.1% of all registered voters nationwide, based on the 209 million active voters in 2020 and 211 million in 2024. It is roughly 0.6% of the 40 million registered voters in those four states.

Critics note that the administration has not provided its full methodology, and that commercial database analysis can overcount. But supporters argue that even rare cases of illegal voting undermine election integrity and justify stronger safeguards.

State responses to federal demands

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt, a Republican, said his state's voter rolls are 'properly maintained and updated' but pledged to review any data DHS provides. Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, a Democrat, called the numbers 'wildly speculative.' California's Shirley Weber, also a Democrat, expressed skepticism about the methodology.

Iowa has not been among the states targeted by the federal demands, but the state's own audit shows the issue is real, even if limited.

Other state audits show similar patterns

Several states have conducted their own citizenship audits. In Georgia, a 2024 audit found just 20 non-citizens among 8.2 million registered voters. Ohio identified 597 non-citizen registrations, with 138 casting ballots. Texas found 2,724 potential non-citizens among 18.6 million voters. Louisiana identified 390 non-citizens, with 79 voting.

These numbers, while small in percentage terms, have fueled the push for the SAVE America Act, which would require photo ID to vote and in-person proof of citizenship to register. Trump has also signed executive orders tightening mail-in ballot rules and requiring documentary proof of citizenship, though courts have blocked some of those measures.

What the Trump administration is doing

The Justice Department has sued 30 states and D.C. to obtain full voter registration lists, including names, addresses, partial Social Security numbers, and driver's license numbers. Sixteen of those lawsuits have been dismissed by judges. One federal appeals court ruled the DOJ is not entitled to Michigan's unredacted voter list.

DHS also overhauled its SAVE database to let states verify citizenship or immigration status of voter registrants. But a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled the Trump administration acted unlawfully in creating the centralized database, saying it had been used to incorrectly remove U.S. citizens from voter rolls.

With midterm elections approaching in November, the debate over non-citizen voting and election integrity is likely to intensify. Iowa voters can expect continued focus on this issue from state and federal officials.