DHS asks four states to check voter rolls for non-citizens after Trump election fraud speech

Following a speech by President Trump alleging widespread election fraud, the Department of Homeland Security has asked California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania to check their voter rolls for over 250,000 potential non-citizens. DHS has not provided evidence for its claim, which Nevada's Secretary of State called "wildly speculative." The move elevates election security as a key issue for the November midterms and supports Trump's push for a stalled voter ID bill.

DHS voter roll investigation

• ▪The DHS request follows a primetime address by President Donald Trump on election security on July 16, 2026
• ▪DHS stated it reviewed public voter files in states that have not utilized its Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system
• ▪Secretary Mullin stated that election officials who do not "secure their elections" could face fines, penalties, or prison time
• ▪DHS claims to have identified over 250,000 potential non-citizens illegally registered to vote across the four states
• ▪DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin asked election officials in California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania to check their voter rolls for non-citizens
• ▪DHS has not publicly provided evidence to corroborate its tally of 250,000 potential non-citizen voters
• ▪Secretary Mullin requested the four states to respond to his letter within two weeks

State officials' responses

• ▪As of July 17, 2026, officials in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and California had not responded to requests for comment on the DHS letter
• ▪Nevada's Secretary of State, Francisco Aguilar, refuted the DHS claims as "wildly speculative at best" and unsupported by evidence

Trump election fraud claims

• ▪President Trump claimed China illicitly acquired 220 million U.S. voter files in what he called the largest compromise of election data in history
• ▪In a July 16, 2026 primetime address, President Donald Trump alleged "shocking vulnerabilities" in the U.S. election system
• ▪A U.S. intelligence assessment previously found no evidence that foreign interference successfully changed the outcome of the 2020 election
• ▪President Trump's former cybersecurity chief had described the 2020 election as "the most secure in American history."

SAVE America Act legislation

• ▪According to DHS, 10 states that used its SAVE database found nearly 30,000 noncitizens and over 400,000 deceased persons on their voter rolls
• ▪President Trump has urged Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act
• ▪The SAVE Act has stalled in Congress as it lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome the Senate filibuster

Voting machine security allegations

• ▪The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is expected to release an updated election infrastructure plan within 30 days
• ▪President Trump claimed U.S. voting machines and ballot counting systems are "vulnerable and easily compromised."

Political context

• ▪In 2019, Pennsylvania discovered 11,198 noncitizens on its voter rolls, according to a report cited by The Federalist
• ▪President Trump is making election security a central issue ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections