The false Republican rhetoric about electoral fraud has led to voter purges in several states in the United States, affecting the confidence of naturalized immigrants in participating in the upcoming elections on November 5. More than 30 cases of voter purges have been reported in at least 19 states, including Nevada and North Carolina, according to Democracy Docket, an election litigation tracker.
"Our elections are bad and (the Democrats) are trying to get many of these illegal immigrants to vote," a Republican representative stated during a recent debate. For many naturalized immigrants who faced a long process to obtain citizenship, the possibility of voting is threatened.
Although the names of 585,774 registered voters were sent to the Citizenship and Immigration Service to verify their status, the damage to the confidence of naturalized citizens had already been done. Activists like Kathleen Bush-Joseph from the Migration Policy Institute point out that allegations of electoral fraud have increased, even though statistics show that these cases are extremely rare.
Organizations like the Brennan Center For Justice have revealed that an insignificant number of votes in past elections could have come from non-citizens. Nevertheless, voter purges continue in several states, creating fear and uncertainty among naturalized immigrants.
The Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ) and other organizations have sued state authorities for attempting to exclude thousands of naturalized immigrants from the voter rolls. Despite legal actions, uncertainty persists, and it is hoped that these citizens will not be discouraged when exercising their right to vote.
