At Least 1,400 Noncitizens Registered to Vote in Detroit Area, Says Report

At least 1,400 noncitizens, who registered to vote in the Detroit metropolitan area, were removed from the voter rolls since 2011, according to a new report that also reveals concerns over voter duplications and registrants with implausible dates of birth, some dating back to the 1800s.

In Motor Voter Mayhem, the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) details how Michigan’s noncitizens became registered to vote through DMV transactions and other means as required by the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). More commonly known as “motor voter,” the legislation was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993. Motor Voter allows anyone who applies for a state driver’s license the opportunity to register to vote.

In the Detroit area, at least 1,444 registered voters were noncitizens. From this total, 822 noncitizens resided in Detroit proper, a figure which PILF called “among the highest” they ever saw from a single jurisdiction nationwide.

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