Nov 7, 2024 Story by: Editor
A recent audit of Georgia’s voter rolls has found only 20 noncitizens among more than 8 million registered voters, according to an announcement from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Wednesday.
The 20 noncitizen registrations have been canceled, and the individuals have been referred to authorities for investigation and potential prosecution, Raffensperger confirmed.
Additionally, 156 other registrations have been flagged for further investigation, which is currently underway.
“Georgia has the cleanest voter list in the entire country,” Raffensperger, a Republican, said in reference to the audit. “Georgia can trust in their elections.”
These findings stand in stark contrast to claims from some Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, who has suggested that noncitizens will vote in large numbers during the 2024 election.
“Our elections are bad,” Trump said during last month’s ABC News presidential debate, as he criticized Democrats. “And a lot of these illegal immigrants are coming in, they’re trying to get them to vote. They can’t even speak English, they don’t even know what country they’re in practically, and these people are trying to get them to vote, and that’s why they’re allowing them to come into our country.”
Gabriel Sterling, the Chief Operating Officer for the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, rebutted these claims.
“One of the reasons the secretary ordered this noncitizenship audit is to prove to people that — while there are ways that some can potentially get on — it is increasingly rare,” Sterling said on Wednesday. “There is no proof that there is this overwhelming number of noncitizens on the rolls.”
The 20 noncitizens found on the rolls were located across seven counties, with many flagged due to signing affidavits claiming they were not citizens to avoid jury duty. These individuals have been referred to local prosecutors for possible legal action, though Sterling noted, “There are some instances where they probably should be prosecuted, but that’s not our call.”
Sterling also strongly denied allegations that voting machines are responsible for election fraud, stating that there is “zero evidence of a machine flipping an individual’s vote.”
He acknowledged that some voting errors occur, especially among elderly voters who may unintentionally press the wrong button due to shaky hands, but stressed the importance of reviewing ballots before submitting them.
“Literally zero — and I’m saying this to certain congresspeople in the state — zero evidence of machines flipping votes,” Sterling emphasized. “And that claim was a lie in the 2020 election and it’s a lie now.” Source: ABC News
