Homeland Security’s claim that nearly 16,000 noncitizens voted in Nevada has collapsed to 185 names, and state officials say every one of those 185 people is a U.S. citizen.
Story Snapshot
- Homeland Security’s Nevada noncitizen voter estimate fell from about 15,903 people to just 185.
- Nevada’s Deputy Attorney General says state records show all 185 flagged voters are citizens.
- Nationwide, federal prosecutors have charged only 129 people with noncitizen voting in 30 years.
- Federal law allows deportation for noncitizens who lie about citizenship to vote, though no Nevada case has reached that point.
Nevada’s Noncitizen Voter List Shrinks Dramatically
The Department of Homeland Security said earlier this year that nearly 15,903 people on Nevada’s voter rolls looked like noncitizens. By August, that number had dropped to 185 names. The agency said it had manually reviewed each one and found them “highly likely” to be noncitizens. The sharp drop, from tens of thousands down to under 200, drew attention from state officials and reporters across the country.
Nevada officials pushed back on the federal numbers from the start. They said Homeland Security never gave them enough details to check its claims against state voter and citizenship records. The gap between the agency’s first estimate and its final list raised questions about how the matching process worked, since it moved from nearly 16,000 names down to 185 within a matter of months.
State Records Say Every Flagged Voter Is a Citizen
Nevada Deputy Attorney General Greg Ott checked the 185 names against state records. He said all 185 people are U.S. citizens, not noncitizens as Homeland Security claimed. The Nevada Independent reported that state officials found no evidence supporting the federal list, even after the agency narrowed it down from its original estimate. Homeland Security disputed Nevada’s conclusion and stood by its manual review process.
The back-and-forth between Nevada and federal officials shows how hard it is to verify noncitizen voting claims using voter-roll data alone. Matching names, birthdates, and partial records across different government databases can produce false matches. Nevada’s experience suggests that even a list narrowed through manual review can still include people who are legally registered and eligible citizens.
National Prosecution Data Shows a Rare Offense
Outside Nevada, federal records show noncitizen voting is uncommon. Reuters found that prosecutors have charged just 129 people under the federal law banning noncitizen voting since Congress passed it in 1996. ProPublica reported that fewer than 150 alleged noncitizen voters were referred for prosecution nationwide between January 2025 and May 2026, with 41 people charged with voting illegally or related election crimes. Those numbers are small next to claims of widespread fraud.
Some prosecutions have moved forward in other states. The Justice Department charged 47 lawful permanent residents in one case announced across five states, accusing them of illegal voting, fraudulent registration, or related crimes. A separate review found that past noncitizen voting cases from 2020 never went to trial or were appealed, raising questions about how often these charges hold up in court.
What Happens Legally to a Noncitizen Who Votes
Federal law does allow serious consequences for noncitizens who vote illegally. The Congressional Research Service says noncitizens who unlawfully vote may be denied admission to the country or face removal, depending on their immigration status and the specific law involved. A noncitizen who falsely claims to be a U.S. citizen in order to register or vote can face criminal charges, fines, and immigration penalties under existing statutes.
None of the 185 people flagged in Nevada have been identified as having gone through that legal process, since the state says they are citizens to begin with. No public case connects a named Nevada voter to a completed deportation. Separately, no federal agency, law, or budget record in the available public record describes a reward
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