Federal Investigators Identify More Than 400 Noncitizens Registered to Vote in Washington State
Federal prosecutors announced that investigators have identified more than 400 noncitizens illegally registered to vote in Washington state, with some individuals casting ballots in multiple elections dating back decades. The announcement was detailed by the U.S. attorney’s offices for the Eastern and Western districts of Washington.
Neil Floyd, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, described the findings as an initial discovery. Investigators identified the voters by reviewing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services records, which revealed that certain individuals who applied for specific immigration benefits had also participated in elections.
While some individuals on the list voted only once or three times in past elections, Floyd noted that others cast ballots as many as 27 times. Across the identified group, federal prosecutors counted approximately 1,500 separate instances of noncitizens casting ballots. The earliest documented instance dates back to 1984, with additional illegal voting activity occurring through the late 1980s and early 1990s, predating Washington state’s modern vote-by-mail system.
Many of the individuals identified on the list are lawful permanent residents and green card holders. Federal officials stated that a significant number of these green card holders were registered to vote without their knowledge through Washington’s Motor Voter program, which integrates voter registration into transactions with the state Department of Licensing. According to federal notices, some residents received ballots in the mail and mistakenly assumed they were legally eligible to participate.
State guidance notes that eligible residents are automatically registered to vote only if they supply proof of U.S. citizenship during driver’s license or identification card applications. However, federal prosecutors indicated that the investigation has revealed vulnerabilities in how voter rolls are maintained and how individuals are registered.
Federal authorities have asked Washington state officials to set aside ballots cast by the identified noncitizens until their citizenship status can be verified. Floyd emphasized that federal investigators did not examine whether any of the identified individuals voted in the upcoming midterms, stating an intention to avoid interfering with current elections.
Prosecutors cautioned that voting as a noncitizen carries severe legal repercussions for individuals pursuing U.S. citizenship. Potential criminal penalties include charges for making false statements on naturalization applications and fraudulent voter registration.
The Washington findings align with broader federal enforcement actions regarding voter rolls nationwide. The Department of Justice previously took legal action in California to set aside roughly 20,000 mail-in ballots sent to individuals whose citizenship status is under review. Meanwhile, Department of Homeland Security officials reported that dozens of noncitizens have been arrested nationwide in a voter fraud crackdown, with at least 18 individuals having voted in federal elections. Those arrested originated from numerous countries across the globe and faced a range of separate criminal charges.
