Electoral systems

Utah Audit Finds 27 Noncitizens on Voter Rolls

Was the audit a model of responsible election administration or an incomplete half-measure?

Published 2 days ago

Utah Audit Finds 27 Noncitizens on Voter Rolls

Story

Above: Election volunteers sort ballots at the Utah County Ballot Center in Provo, Utah, on Nov. 5, 2024. Image credit: George Frey/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Utah's yearlong citizenship review of more than 2 million voter records confirmed 99.72% are verified U.S. citizens, and the 27 confirmed noncitizens have already been removed from the rolls. The system caught real problems and fixed them, including a glitch in the online registration portal that's now been patched. This is exactly what responsible election administration looks like: thorough, transparent and committed to protecting every eligible voter's rights.

Deidre Henderson on X

Deidre Henderson on Office of Lieutenant Governor Deidre M. Henderson Deseret

Establishment-critical narrative

Utah's so-called "comprehensive" citizenship audit only ran 71,256 of its 2+ million voter records through the federal SAVE database — leaving 5,007 voters with unconfirmed citizenship status and 25 probable noncitizens still unresolved. Texas ran its entire voter list of 18 million through SAVE and flagged 2,724 potential noncitizens. A real audit uses every available federal tool on every single record, and Utah's half-measure falls dangerously short of that standard.

Phil Lyman on X

Dan Hauser on X