Wednesday, Jul. 3, 2024
Did 10,000 undocumented immigrants cast votes using the same social security number in Arizona’s 2020 election?
There is no evidence that 10,000 undocumented immigrants voted illegally using a single social security number in Arizona’s 2020 election. Undocumented immigrants cannot vote in U.S. elections. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote, with the exception of a few municipalities that allow non-citizen voting in local elections.
Non-citizens with lawful resident status may possess a valid social security number under some circumstances, but this does not make them eligible to vote.
Arizona law requires individuals to submit proof of citizenship with their voter registration to be eligible for state and local elections. To vote in federal elections, individuals must certify under penalty of perjury that they are a U.S. citizen. Non-citizens risk jail time or deportation for fraudulent registration. Studies have found instances of non-citizen voter registration to be exceptionally rare.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- US Social Security Administration Social Security Numbers for Nonresidents
- US Social Security Administration Help America Vote Verification (HAVV) Transactions by State
- US Government Who can and cannot vote
- Arizona Secretary of State Proof of Citizenship Requirements
- National Conference of State Legislatures Voter Registration List Maintenance
- Cornell Law School 18 U.S. Code § 1015 - Naturalization, citizenship or alien registry
- Cato Institute Noncitizens Don’t Illegally Vote in Detectable Numbers
- Heritage Foundation Voter Fraud Map: Election Fraud Database
About fact briefs
Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.
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