Key facts
- A social media claim alleges former President Barack Obama encouraged noncitizens to vote in a 2016 interview.
- The original interview shows Obama urging eligible citizens to vote and stating that voting requires citizenship.
- Obama's remarks were made in response to questions about election rigging and fears that voting could alert immigration authorities.
- Studies suggest noncitizen voting in federal elections is extremely rare, and federal law prohibits it.
- President Trump has claimed that hundreds of thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote, though actual voting by these individuals is not alleged.
- A New Jersey error improperly registered some noncitizens, but only a small number cast ballots.
Social media users are circulating a shortened video clip of former President Barack Obama from a 2016 interview, falsely claiming he encouraged noncitizens to vote. The clip, shared widely on platforms like X, misrepresents Obama's statements made during an interview with actress Gina Rodriguez for the Latino media company mitú.
In the original video, Obama discusses myths surrounding voting. When asked about election rigging, he stated that efforts to discourage voting historically targeted African Americans but that if eligible citizens show up to vote, they cannot be stopped. He also addressed fears that voting could alert immigration authorities, clarifying that voting requires citizenship and that citizens vote for themselves and others in their community, including those who cannot legally vote.
Multiple studies and investigations have indicated that noncitizens voting in federal elections is exceedingly rare. A 1996 U.S. law makes it illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, with penalties including fines, imprisonment, and deportation. Voters must attest under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens when registering.
Despite this, President Trump and other Republicans have repeatedly claimed that noncitizen voting is widespread. Trump recently cited a Department of Homeland Security investigation suggesting approximately 278,000 noncitizens were registered to vote, though no evidence of them actually voting was presented, and the data's accuracy is questioned.
In a separate incident, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill reported that an error at the state's Motor Vehicle Commission improperly registered about 6,600 individuals who indicated they were noncitizens. A preliminary analysis showed fewer than 400 of these individuals cast ballots.