Off come the gloves.
When it comes to the issue of non-citizen voting in the US Presidential election, Donald Trump is a liar. Flat out and simple. Let’s dispense with the whole “mis” or “dis” information tag and boil this to the bottom.
Every last word and claim is a lie, or in a word some people would better understand because of its inherent nomenclature, bullshit.
Now, let’s dig in and challenge anyone and everyone to contest anything I’m about to write.
Donald Trump’s claims that non-citizens are flooding the polls and swaying American elections are false, plain and simple. He has repeatedly alleged that “millions” of votes from non-citizens, particularly undocumented immigrants, have skewed election results. Yet, there is zero evidence to support this narrative.
ZERO evidence.
Study after study, including those commissioned by bipartisan institutions, have found virtually no cases of non-citizen voting, much less on a scale large enough to influence an election. But despite the lack of supporting evidence, conservative media outlets and social media platforms such as the conspiracy-laden shell games of FOX, Newsmax, OAN and their reprehensible ilk, continue to echo these unsubstantiated claims, effectively transforming falsehoods into a chorus of conspiracy.
Let’s dig into the numbers, most of which deniers of fact will never read nor accept. Such is the society we’ve made for ourselves.
One landmark study that debunks Trump’s non-citizen voting claims was conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. The 2017 study found that credible instances of voter fraud, including non-citizen voting, are exceedingly rare. So rare that they occur less than 0.0009% of the time. When they happen, they are often due to clerical errors, misunderstandings, or isolated instances that bear no impact on election outcomes.
Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Law School and a leading expert on voting law, also conducted an exhaustive study of U.S. elections from 2000 to 2014 and discovered only 31 incidents of potential fraud out of over a billion ballots cast. These cases involved various types of fraud but included very few non-citizen voting instances, proving how negligible the risk truly is.
Even government-led investigations have arrived at the same conclusion.
A 2019 Department of Homeland Security report found no substantive evidence of non-citizens voting in significant numbers. Yet, Trump and his allies disregarded this report, choosing instead to keep alive a baseless narrative. His lies are being propagated across social media and right-wing outlets with little to no fact-checking, underscoring how far certain media platforms will go to misinform the public to serve a political agenda.
Believe Trump and his acolytes? You are being lied to and used as a dupe to embolden their desire for power.
The persistence of Trump’s voter fraud myth is particularly harmful given that many Americans consume news in echo chambers that reinforce their existing beliefs. A 2020 study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that lies travel six times faster than factual news on social media platforms like X and Facebook.
Doesn't hurt that the lies are also being pushed by X founder Elon Musk at a frightening pace every day.
The study suggests that the digital age has given these conspiracy theories an unprecedented platform and reach, enabling Trump’s claims to spread quickly and embed themselves into public consciousness despite being categorically false.
Furthermore, an analysis by NewsGuard in 2020 showed that some of the most shared articles on conservative media sites were either unverified claims about voter fraud or outright false stories. Fox News, Newsmax, Breitbart and other outlets have been repeatedly flagged by fact-checking organizations for failing to challenge Trump’s claims, or even worse, amplifying them without the slightest hint of scrutiny.
More troubling, Trump’s claims about non-citizen voting go beyond misinformation.
They are lies. Blatant, provable, in your social media face lies.
Misinformation can arise from misunderstandings, but these claims lack even the thinnest veneer of credible evidence, which makes them deliberate falsehoods. In a country with stringent voter registration protocols, non-citizens are barred from registering to vote in the first place. To register, one must provide proof of citizenship, which varies by state but typically involves a Social Security number, a valid U.S. driver’s license, or other documentation proving legal status. This system is designed to ensure that only citizens can vote, making mass non-citizen voting not only improbable but logistically impossible.
Take Georgia, for example. Trump targeted the state in 2020, claiming rampant voter fraud among non-citizens, yet a thorough investigation led by Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger found no such thing. His office conducted signature audits and reviewed processes across multiple counties, finding no indication of illegal voting. This investigation aligns with findings in other battleground states, like Arizona, where allegations of non-citizen voting were similarly dismissed following rigorous scrutiny.
One of the many ironies in Trump’s falsehoods is that he was the one who established the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in 2017, with the goal of uncovering voter fraud, particularly by non-citizens.
After months of work, the commission was dissolved, by Trump, without finding any evidence to substantiate Trump’s claims. Kris Kobach, a prominent advocate of voter fraud theories, led the commission and even he was forced to admit there was no evidence to support Trump’s rhetoric. This disbanded commission should have put to rest any idea of widespread fraud, yet the falsehood persists, highlighting just how deeply Trump’s narrative has penetrated.
One can certainly, and should question the Commission dissolution, as Trump wanting to deflect any and all attention away from the fact his lies were exposed.
It’s not just irresponsible. It’s dangerous.
These baseless accusations erode public trust in democratic institutions, undermine confidence in election results, and drive a wedge between Americans. They create an environment where voters are more likely to question legitimate outcomes simply because they don’t align with their preferences. And while Trump himself has been the most vocal in promoting these lies, his claims are sustained by a feedback loop of social media posts, conspiracy websites, and right-wing outlets that refuse to vet his statements.
In a functioning democracy, facts should guide public opinion, not lies passed off as truth.
Trump’s baseless assertions about non-citizen voting do more than deceive; they endanger the very fabric of American democracy by casting doubt on its legitimacy.
By fueling these unsubstantiated claims, he and his enablers aren’t just bending the truth. They’re breaking it entirely. Trump and his followers, acolytes, cultists, call them what you will, are using a good part of the American voting public as suckers.
Falling for it is an indicator, and should be a heads-up, to those being used. They are part of seeking to destroy American democracy and grant unlimited power to a madman.
Wake up, or forever be a part of this insidious lie.
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