Noncitizen voting

Noncitizen voting refers to participation in elections by people who are not U.S. citizens. Federal law makes it a crime for a noncitizen to vote in federal elections, and it can lead to deportation. States also bar it for state offices, although about a dozen municipalities, such as some Maryland and Vermont towns and, for a time, New York City and Washington, D.C., have allowed noncitizens to vote in certain local elections. Courts struck down New York City's law in 2024.

Documented cases of noncitizens voting in federal elections are very rare, according to reviews by state officials and studies, but they do occur, sometimes because of confusion or registration through agencies. Disagreement centers on frequency: some conservatives argue that the numbers are underestimated because verification is limited and that citizenship proof should be required, while many election officials and researchers say that existing checks work.

Proposals include requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register, as the SAVE Act proposed, and using federal databases to check rolls through voter roll maintenance. Opponents argue that documentary requirements could block eligible citizens who lack documents. The topic is linked to debates about automatic voter registration and Voter ID, and to apportionment.