Nevada's top election official disputes federal tally of 15,903 noncitizen registrations

Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said Monday that the Department of Homeland Security's figure of 15,903 potential noncitizen registrations in Nevada cannot be verified against state records and risks discouraging voters as Nevadans cast ballots Tuesday.

Aguilar said the federal data arrived without a stated method and covered records from an undetermined period. "You can't go out there and make a substantial claim like that without having the data or explaining the methodology you use to get that data, because that scares voters," he said.

Homeland Security first released the 15,903 figure in July, days after President Donald Trump said in a July 16 address that federal authorities had identified about 278,000 noncitizen registrations nationally. The department later told Aguilar's office that it had identified 185 potential noncitizens in Nevada and described the larger figure as a ceiling. The department also said it shared a list of 6,218 individuals with matching attributes in its records at Nevada's request. A department spokesperson said the agency was helping narrow Nevada's roster of nearly 2.3 million registered voters to 15,903 records that match federal alien records.

The Justice Department sued California on Oct. 15 over mail ballots sent to about 20,000 people it described as likely noncitizens. A federal appeals court rejected the administration's request to set those ballots aside, and the Supreme Court declined the appeal Monday. The Justice Department has filed no such suit in Nevada. "We're prepared to litigate as soon as that request comes," Aguilar said, "but I don't think it's going to come."

Aguilar, a Democrat, also said he is under Justice Department investigation and that his office received at least seven voter-related subpoenas earlier this year. "We are meeting our legal responsibilities in those cases," he said.

Noncitizen voting is barred under state and federal law, and states verify citizenship at registration. The Brennan Center for Justice and other research organizations have found such voting to be rare. A Heritage Foundation database lists roughly 100 cases nationwide.

Nevada voters are deciding Question 7, which would require photo identification at the polls. The measure took 73% of the vote in 2024 and needs a majority again Tuesday to amend the state Constitution.