How Important Are Illegal Immigrants to Elections?
By James D. Agresti
In 2012, what portion of non-citizens in the U.S. were registered to vote in violation of laws that prohibit non-citizens from voting in U.S. elections?
What do you think? One percent, five percent, maybe 10%. Maybe enough for election integrity laws?
The correct answer is a whopping 20%?
Laws in all 50 states generally forbid non-citizens from registering to vote in federal elections, but enforcement mechanisms are limited, and the vast bulk of illegal immigrants have fake IDs that can be used to register. Thus, a 2012 Harvard/YouGov survey revealed that 14% of non-citizens stated they were registered to vote, and 9% stated they “definitely voted” in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. In addition, database matches with consumer and voting records showed that 22% of non-citizens in the database were registered to vote, and 12% voted in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. The margin of sampling error for these results is plus-or-minus 4 percentage points with at least 95% confidence. Other surveys conducted in 2008, 2010, and 2013 found similar voter registration and voting levels among non-citizens. So-called “fact-checkers” have tried to dismiss these facts by quoting the opinions of selected “experts,” which are debunked at the 2nd and 3rd links below.
This article is courtesy of ThePricklyPear.org, an online voice for citizen journalists to express the principles of limited government and personal liberty to the public, to policy makers, and to political activists. Please visit ThePricklyPear.org for more great content.