Fact-checking right-wing claims about election security and noncitizens voting

Speakers at the Republican convention have repeated falsehoods that Democrats are rigging the election and that non-citizens will vote in November. That claim is just one of many conspiracy theories about the security of America’s election system that are being spread in the lead up to November. White House Correspondent Laura Barrón-López reports.

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Geoff Bennett: Some speakers here at the Republican National Convention have repeated the unsubstantiated claim that Democrats are rigging the presidential election, specifically about noncitizens voting.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX): How did we get here? It happened because Democrats cynically decided they wanted votes from illegals more than they wanted to protect our children.

(Booing)

Kari Lake (R), Arizona Senatorial Candidate: Just last week, Ruben Gallego voted to let the millions of people who poured into our country illegally cast a ballot in this upcoming election.

Amna Nawaz: That claim is just one of many conspiracy theories about the security of America’s election system that are being spread in the lead-up to November.

Our White House correspondent, Laura Barron-Lopez, has been covering this, and she joins us now.

Now, Laura, we should point out this claim isn’t new, but it is now frequently repeated by Republicans. Where did it come from in the first place?

Laura Barron-Lopez: This lie dates back to 2016, Amna, when then-candidate Donald Trump said that he lost the popular vote because three to five million noncitizen immigrants voted for Hillary Clinton.

That’s — of course is not true. But now it’s become much more pervasive among Republicans this election cycle, going all the way from Republican nominee Donald Trump to House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has repeated this baseless claim over and over again.

And the House — House Republicans just last week passed a bill that makes it illegal for noncitizens to vote, requiring proof of citizenship. It’s important to note, Amna, that it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote under federal law.

Geoff Bennett: And, Laura, another key figure peddling this false claim is tech billionaire Elon Musk, who actually just endorsed Donald Trump.

Help us understand how he is sowing doubt about the presidential election.

Laura Barron-Lopez: Just to give some context about Elon Musk’s presence on X, on social media, he has more than 189 million followers on X.

And it’s widely reported that the algorithm, since he started owning that platform, the algorithm boosts his post more than other users. And Musk has written posts on X that attack the voting system, specifically saying that — quote — “The system is designed to make it impossible to prove fraud. Mail-in and drop box ballot should not be allowed.”

Now, Musk has also amplified on X a baseless claim posted by another user that said — quote — “The number of voters registering without a photo I.D. is skyrocketing in three key swing states, Arizona, Texas and Pennsylvania.”

And Stephen Richer, Maricopa County recorder, responded specifically on X to Musk, pointing out that voter rolls have actually decreased in Arizona, again, refuting that claim that Musk was amplifying.

I spoke to Stephen Richer today about the impact of Musk posting and reposting these types of inaccuracies. And he told us that, ultimately, he’s concerned that a lot of people are going to believe this and that it makes the job of election officials like himself unsustainable.

Stephen Richer (R), Maricopa County, Arizona, Recorder: Despite the millions of dollars that we have invested and the countless hours that we have invested to tours, to livestreams, to tele-town halls, to videos, to articles, to reports, it doesn’t seem like we have made a significant dent in this culture, in this movement, in this false characterization of election administration.

At some point, people are going to throw up their hands and just stop, stop trying. After four years of doing this, I’m personally nearing that point.

Laura Barron-Lopez: As you can hear there, Stephen Richer is pretty disheartened about the situation. He has invited Elon Musk to come to Maricopa County to tour their voting facilities, to ask any questions that he might have about how voting is administered there.

And Musk has not responded to Richer. And we also put out a request to X about these conspiracy theories that Elon Musk is posting and received no response.

Amna Nawaz: Laura, you can hear the frustration in his voice there. So how are other election officials like Richer in other key swing states responding to all of this?

Laura Barron-Lopez: I also spoke to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson today, Amna. And she said that her office has — quote — “guardrails in place” to prevent noncitizens from voting.

And if a noncitizen does vote, they have effective ways of catching that afterwards and making sure that that vote is not counted. She said, ultimately, though that she’s concerned that these lies about noncitizens voting could have a really negative impact on the system overall.

Jocelyn Benson (D), Michigan Secretary of State: We invite people, however, with questions to ask them so that we can answer them, as opposed to simply just amplifying misinformation.

Because the ramifications of amplifying easily debunked untruths and lies about who’s able to vote or who’s voting in our elections leads to eligible voters being harassed and intimidated at the polls because someone may be showing up thinking or presuming wrongfully that that person’s not eligible to vote.

Laura Barron-Lopez: Secretary of State Benson in Michigan also said that she’s concerned that this could lead to some eligible voters, American citizens, just deciding that they don’t want to engage and that they may not participate in this year’s election.

Geoff Bennett: Well, tell us more about that, Laura. I mean, how do these baseless claims fit into the overall effort among some Republicans to undercut confidence in the next election?

Laura Barron-Lopez: This is part of a larger effort, Geoff, to sow doubt about America’s election system, to convince the electorate that the country system can’t be trusted and that the — and that, if Donald Trump were to lose, that that result is not legitimate.

And an example of this comes from Heritage Foundation, the right-wing think tank that has issued a blueprint for a potential second Trump term.

Mike Howell, executive director of The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, said recently at an event that: “As things stand right now, there is a zero percent chance of a free and fair election in the United States of America.”

And that transition report from Heritage Foundation also claimed — without any evidence — that President Biden will retain power — quote — “by force” and that President Biden will disregard the will of the voters, whatever the ultimate result is.

And so some fear from election security experts that I have spoken to is that what happens with all this disinformation if Donald Trump were to lose, that it could potentially result in some political violence in the end, Geoff.

Geoff Bennett: Laura Barron-Lopez.

Laura, thanks so much.

Laura Barron-Lopez: Thank you.