2026-09-23T10:04:03.272Z / 路透社
- 概述
- 数据显示，可能有多达3万名非公民被错误登记投票
- 专家称，该人数规模过小，不足以影响美国选举
- 自2000年以来，包括共和党票仓在内的十余个州均报告存在此类错误
- 专家表示，拟议的公民身份证明要求不太可能解决这一问题
华盛顿9月23日路透电 — 据路透社审核的官方记录显示，由于处理驾照和州身份证申请时出现软件故障和文书错误，自2000年以来，美国各州可能已将超过3万名自称非公民的人士纳入全国选民登记名单。
这些案例暴露出美国十余个由民主党和共和党分别执政的州的选民登记系统存在漏洞，但专家表示，相对于美国超过1.7亿登记选民的总规模而言，这一数字过小，不足以影响选举结果。路透社无法确定这些非公民中有多少人实际投了票。
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调查结果表明，非公民登记的主要来源是无意的官僚失误，而非有组织的非法移民登记行动，同时也引发了一个疑问：要求选民登记时提供公民身份证明的立法努力是否能够消除这一问题。
唐纳德·特朗普总统及其支持者在没有证据的情况下声称，非公民投票现象普遍存在，是民主党人旨在在11月中期选举中夺回国会席位的有组织阴谋的一部分，并正在敦促议员们加强投票要求。
新泽西州今年夏天公布了最近一起备受关注的错误登记案件，称一起技术故障在2023年6月至2024年6月期间将约6600名非公民纳入选民登记名单，尽管这些人在申请驾照和身份证时被问及是否为公民时回答了“否”。
据路透社报道，至少其他11个州也报告了官僚失误，包括艾奥瓦州、得克萨斯州和南达科他州等共和党票仓，使得2000年以来的全国总人数超过3万。
此前从未有过此类失误的全国统计数据。
路透社利用选举创新与研究中心（一家跟踪非公民选民登记和投票主张的非营利组织）的数据，确定了自称非公民者被登记的州。随后，路透社与州官员、法庭记录和当地媒体报道核实了这些数据。
数据显示，错误出现在加利福尼亚州、伊利诺伊州、艾奥瓦州、内华达州、俄亥俄州、俄勒冈州、宾夕法尼亚州、南达科他州、得克萨斯州、犹他州和弗吉尼亚州。
由于州级数据往往是暂定的且可能修订，这些数字并不精确。
保守派智库传统基金会选举诚信高级法律研究员、前特朗普任命的美国选举援助委员会主席唐·帕尔默表示，此类失误很可能是非公民被纳入全国选民登记名单的首要原因。
“我认为这是主要问题，”帕尔默说。“驾照管理机构经常出错，而且他们往往不像选举官员那样认真对待此事。”他表示，各州还需要采取更多措施核实选民资格。
拯救美国？
白宫已向国会施压，要求通过《拯救美国法案》，一项打击非法投票的提案，该法案要求人们在登记投票时出示美国公民身份证明，并在投票时出示带照片的身份证。
但选举创新与研究中心执行董事大卫·贝克尔表示，此类法案不太可能防止州级机构出现此类错误。
“在每一起此类案例中，当事人都完全按照规定行事。如果要求出示公民身份证明，这些问题仍然会存在，因为流程本身出现了故障，”他说。
《拯救美国法案》的支持者表示，这是确保只有符合资格的选民才能投票的常识性方法。大多数州并不要求提供有记录的公民身份证明。
批评者反驳称，该法案的限制可能会剥夺数百万难以轻松获取护照或出生证明的选民的投票权，包括低收入人群和少数族裔，同时为11月3日的中期选举制造不必要的混乱。
“这根本不是个问题，”布鲁金斯学会治理专家伊莱恩·卡马克说。“没有任何证据表明大量非公民在投票。”
美国司法部表示，移民有时会谎报公民身份以登记参加美国选举，但没有证据表明这种情况普遍存在。
路透社今年早些时候发布的数据分析显示，根据国会1996年制定的《外国人投票法》，联邦检察官仅指控了129人。在这些案件中，检察官均未指控存在协调影响选举的行为。
白宫称，非公民选民登记是美国选举已受到破坏的证据，并援引联邦当局自5月以来宣布的11起非公民非法投票逮捕案。
“这里真正的故事是，数十年来媒体一直否认非公民在我们的选举中登记和投票，如今在全国范围内一连串的最近逮捕事件后，他们终于被迫承认这确实发生了，”白宫发言人劳伦·比斯在一份声明中说。
一项旧法律
潜藏在故障和人为错误背后的是州级机动车选民登记系统，该系统根据《全国选民登记法》，在人们申请驾照、州身份证和其他政府服务时为其登记投票。
这项 largely 旨在解决低投票率的民主党倡议于1993年在时任总统比尔·克林顿的领导下获得两党支持通过。根据人口普查数据和美国选举援助委员会的数据，选民登记率已从1990年的62%升至2024年的86%以上。
但共和党人声称，由于自1990年以来美国移民人口翻了一番，此类州级机动车选民登记系统已成为一个主要问题。
“当你意识到在美国的非公民也能获得驾照时，以这种方式自动为人们登记投票是不合理的，”负责联邦选举政策的众议院行政委员会主席、威斯康星州共和党众议员布莱恩·斯蒂尔说。
美国所有50个州都允许合法移民获得驾照，而19个州和哥伦比亚特区还向无证移民提供驾照。
外国护照、出生证明
住在加利福尼亚州的加拿大人兰德尔·马奎斯记得，他有一天收到邮寄来的卡片，通知他在特朗普第一任期的2018年中期选举中登记投票。
“我当时就说，‘这太蠢了。’所以我把它放在一边。但仔细想想后，我觉得不，这不只是蠢，这很糟糕！”这位71岁的绿卡持有者告诉路透社。
他向新闻机构通报了此事，据媒体报道，加州机动车管理局随后披露，由于处理失误，多达1500名非公民被错误登记投票。
州官员没有回复路透社寻求确认的置评请求。
俄勒冈州也发生过类似问题，据州记录显示，由于机动车管理局的文书错误，数百名出示外国护照和出生证明的移民被登记投票。
机动车管理局官员还为数百名出示美国护照的美属萨摩亚人进行了登记，但他们没有意识到，来自美属萨摩亚的人是美国国民而非公民，因此没有投票资格。
在其他一些州，登记的非公民人数最初被高估。
例如，在2024年大选前夕，艾奥瓦州宣布，有2000多人在向艾奥瓦州交通部自称是非公民后登记投票或已投票。
六个月后，这一数字缩减至277人。
艾奥瓦州官员表示，在2024年大选中，共有35名非公民的选票被计入。总体而言，该州超过160万人参加了那次选举。
其他地方的问题更为严重。自2014年以来，弗吉尼亚州每年都报告其选民登记名单上有数百名自称为外国国民的非公民，仅2025年就有超过4500人，根据该州选举部的年度报告。
州官员表示，这些数字包括后来成为公民的人以及被从名单上除名的人。
传统基金会的帕尔默表示，应该要求各州解决这一问题。
“有义务解决这个问题。所以，抛开政治因素，解决问题，”他说。
戴维·摩根报道；迈克尔·利尔蒙特和理查德·瓦尔达马尼斯编辑
我们的标准：汤森路透信托原则。
Thirty thousand mistakes. How red and blue states added non-citizens to the US voter rolls
2026-09-23T10:04:03.272Z / Reuters
- Summary
- Data shows as many as 30,000 non-citizens may have been mistakenly registered to vote
- Numbers too small to impact US elections, experts say
- Errors reported in a dozen states, including Republican strongholds, since 2000
- Proposed proof of of citizenship requirements unlikely to help, experts say
WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) – US states may have added more than 30,000 self-declared non-citizens to the nation’s voter rolls since 2000 because of software glitches and clerical errors made while processing their driver’s license and state ID applications, according to official records reviewed by Reuters.
The cases expose weaknesses in voter registration systems across a dozen US states governed by both Democrats and Republicans, but at numbers that experts said were too small relative to the country’s more than 170 million registered voters to impact elections. Reuters was not able to determine how many of these non-citizens actually cast a ballot.
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The findings suggest that inadvertent bureaucratic failures, rather than organized efforts to register immigrants illegally, are a major source of non-citizen registrations, and raise questions about whether legislative efforts to require proof of citizenship for voter registration would eliminate the issue.
President Donald Trump and his supporters have claimed, without evidence, that non-citizen voting is widespread and part of an organized conspiracy led by Democrats who hope to retake Congress in November’s midterm elections, and are pushing lawmakers to toughen up voting requirements.
New Jersey announced the most recent high-profile case of errant voter registrations over the summer, saying a technology glitch added about 6,600 non-citizens to voter rolls between June 2023 and June 2024, even though they answered “no” when asked if they were citizens while applying for licenses and IDs.
Bureaucratic errors have also been reported in at least 11 other states – including Republican strongholds like Iowa, Texas and South Dakota – bringing the nationwide figure above 30,000 since 2000, according to the Reuters reporting.
A nationwide tally of such mistakes has not previously been reported.
Reuters used data from the Center for Election Innovation & Research, a non-profit group that tracks claims of non-citizen voter registration and voting, to identify states where self-declared non-citizens were registered. Reuters then verified the numbers with state officials, court records, and local media reports.
The data showed errors occurred in California, Illinois, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Virginia.
The numbers are inexact because state data is often tentative and subject to revision.
Such mistakes are likely a top reason non-citizens make it onto the nation’s voter rolls, according to Don Palmer, a senior legal fellow for election integrity at the conservative Heritage Foundation and former Trump-appointed chair of the US Election Assistance Commission.
“I think that’s the primary issue,” Palmer said. “Driver’s license agencies often make mistakes, and they often are not taking this as seriously as election officials.” He said states also need to do more to verify voter eligibility.
SAVE AMERICA?
The White House has pressured Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a proposal to crack down on illegal voting that would require people to show proof of US citizenship to register to vote, and a photo ID to cast a ballot.
But it is unlikely such a bill would prevent the kinds of mistakes being made by state agencies, said David Becker, executive director of CEIR.
“In each of these instances, the individual did exactly what they were supposed to do. If there was some requirement that you had to show proof of citizenship, these problems would still exist, because the processes themselves failed,” he said.
Proponents of the SAVE America Act say it is a common-sense way to ensure only eligible voters can cast ballots. Most states don’t require documented proof of citizenship.
Critics counter that the legislation’s restrictions could disenfranchise millions of voters who lack easy access to passports or birth certificates, including low-income people and racial minorities, while creating unnecessary turmoil for the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
“This is not a problem,” said Elaine Kamarck, an expert on governance at the Brookings Institution. “There’s just no evidence that massive numbers of non-citizens are voting.”
Immigrants do sometimes make false declarations about their citizenship in order to be registered to vote in US elections, according to the Department of Justice. But there is no evidence to show it is widespread.
A Reuters data analysis published earlier this year showed federal prosecutors have charged only 129 people under a federal “voting by aliens” statute created by Congress in 1996. In none of those cases did prosecutors allege a coordinated effort to influence an election.
The White House said non-citizen voter registrations were proof that US elections have been compromised and cited 11 arrests of non-citizens for illegal voting announced by federal authorities since May.
“The real story here is after decades of the media denying that non-citizens register and vote in our elections, they are finally being forced to admit after a flurry of recent arrests nationwide that it does happen,” White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said in a statement.
AN OLD LAW
Underlying the glitches and human errors are state motor-voter systems that register people to vote when they apply for driver’s licenses, state IDs and other government services under the National Voter Registration Act.
The largely Democratic initiative to address low voter participation passed in 1993 with bipartisan support under then-President Bill Clinton. Voter registration has climbed to more than 86% in 2024, from 62% in 1990, according to Census data and the US Election Assistance Commission.
Republicans claim that such state motor-voter systems have become a major problem, however, due to the doubling of the US immigrant population since 1990.
Automatically registering people to vote in this way “is irrational when you realize people that are not citizens in the United States are getting driver’s licenses,” said US Representative Bryan Steil, a Wisconsin Republican who oversees federal election policy as chair of the House Administration Committee.
All 50 states allow legal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, while 19 US states and the District of Columbia also provide driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.
FOREIGN PASSPORTS, BIRTH CERTIFICATES
Randall Marquis, a Canadian who lives in California, remembers the day when he got a card in the mail notifying him that he was registered to vote in the 2018 midterm elections during Trump’s first term.
“I just said, ‘Well, this is stupid.’ So, I put it aside. But after thinking about it, I decided, no, it’s more than stupid. This is bad!” the 71-year-old green card holder told Reuters.
He alerted news organizations, and state officials later disclosed that as many as 1,500 non-citizens had been mistakenly registered to vote by the California Department of Motor Vehicles due to a processing error, according to media reports.
State officials did not respond to Reuters queries seeking confirmation.
Similar problems have happened in Oregon where hundreds of immigrants who presented foreign passports and birth certificates were registered to vote because of clerical mistakes at the Department of Motor Vehicles, according to state records.
DMV officials also registered hundreds of American Samoans who presented US passports, not realizing that people from the US territory are nationals but not citizens, and therefore not eligible to vote.
In some other states, estimates of registered non-citizens have been initially overstated.
Just before the 2024 election, Iowa, for example, announced that more than 2,000 people had registered to vote or had voted in the state after self-reporting to the Iowa Department of Transportation as non-citizens.
Six months later, the number shrank to 277.
Iowa state officials said 35 non-citizens cast ballots that were counted in the 2024 general election. Overall, more than 1.6 million Iowans voted in that election.
The problems are bigger elsewhere. Since 2014, Virginia has reported hundreds of non-citizens each year on its voter rolls who identified themselves as foreign nationals, with a total of more than 4,500 in 2025 alone, according to annual reports by the state Department of Elections.
State officials say those numbers include people who later became citizens, and others who were stricken off the rolls.
Palmer of the Heritage Foundation said states should be required to address the issue.
“There’s an obligation to fix the problem. So, take the politics out, and fix the problem,” he said.
Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Michael Learmonth and Richard Valdmanis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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