Trump Claims U.S. Election System is Catastrophically Flawed in Primetime Address
TL/DR –
In a primetime address, former President Trump alleged the U.S. election system is flawed and pushed lawmakers to pass the controversial SAVE America Act, which proposes changes to election law including requirements to show proof of citizenship to register to vote. He also claimed that the Chinese government had acquired 220 million U.S. voter registration files from 2020 to 2023, though it’s worth noting that voter registration data is publicly available. Trump further pointed to findings by the federal government that hundreds of thousands of non-citizens and dead people are listed and active on voter rolls, a claim that has been heavily disputed by experts who argue that cases of non-citizens and deceased individuals voting are extremely rare.
In Trump’s latest address, he revisits his unfounded election security concerns
During a primetime address, President Trump alleged faults in the U.S. election system, repeating disputed claims. The White House released newly declassified documents on election security, none of which suggested that votes were switched or voting machines hacked, contrary to repeated false claims by the president about the 2020 election.
Trump urged lawmakers to pass the contested SAVE America Act, including requirements for proof of citizenship to vote. The move sparked both praise and criticism from different political camps.
Trump’s allegations against China
Trump alleged that the Chinese government had acquired extensive U.S. voter registration data, which he claimed was the largest compromise of election data in history. These claims referred to publicly accessible voter registration data and lacked clarity over how China intended to use the data. A 2020 intelligence report found China had obtained voter data for public opinion analysis on the 2020 US general election.
Non-citizen and deceased voters
Trump pointed to a Homeland Security review that identified over 250,000 non-citizens registered to vote in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada. However, instances of non-citizen voting are extremely rare, as supported by the Brennan Center for Justice study.
Voting machines
Trump further alleged that voting machines and ballot-counting systems are vulnerable to attack, referring to CIA intelligence about plots to use voting machines for fraud in Venezuela. However, the identified technology is not used in the United States, apart from in Los Angeles County.
Trump also referenced a National Intelligence Council memo from January 2020 that suggested foreign adversaries could potentially manipulate voting systems, but also noted that these systems are difficult to exploit at scale due to stringent security measures. The memo also warned against false claims made by foreign adversaries about their ability to manipulate voting systems to undermine public confidence.
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