Trump uses New Jersey election error to advocate for SAVE Act

A software glitch made public on Tuesday is giving the Trump administration newfound ammunition to advocate for legislation requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship before being registered to vote and photo ID before casting their ballots at the polls.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said on Tuesday that roughly 6,600 noncitizens had been improperly registered to vote in her state due to a serious software error that disregarded their citizenship status. Her announcement came after Department of Homeland Security investigators uncovered thousands of noncitizens on states’ voting records, according to a statement released last week. State officials have been pushing back against the numbers, labeling the majority of them as erroneous. The discoveries led President Donald Trump to push for the implementation of the SAVE America Act which would require voters to provide proof of citizenship and photo ID before they are permitted to cast their ballots.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin earlier this month sent letters to state officials in California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, reporting up to 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote across the United States. Mullin characterized the illegal registrations as a matter of national security. Only American citizens should be electing American leaders, according to a statement released last week. The last three presidential elections were decided by fewer votes than the 278,000 noncitizens supposedly registered to vote, said Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn on Tuesday.

The White House released several posts Wednesday calling the SAVE America Act the solution to the problem. The Trump administration also released a statement on Tuesday labeling the illegal registrations a direct result of Democratic policies refusing basic citizenship checks.

How are states responding to the reports? The four states accused of allowing noncitizens to vote took issue with the administration’s data. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said last week that Trump administration officials provided no evidence to support the numbers. Sherrill accused Trump of spreading lies about election integrity. Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar called the allegation an attempt to spread misinformation and distrust. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro criticized the report, calling it an insult to the American people’s intelligence.