DOJ identifies more than 400 non-citizens registered to vote in Washington state

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday that investigators have identified more than 400 noncitizens illegally registered to vote in Washington state, some of whom voted in multiple elections dating back decades.

Many on the list are green card holders with legal immigration status and permanent residency, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington.

“We have identified more than 400 non-citizens who are registered voters and have voted in multiple elections. This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Neil Floyd, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, said in a statement.

“We will continue to investigate and identify those who commit crimes by voting illegally.”

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The move builds on the DOJ’s lawsuit against Los Angeles County, where it sought to void approximately 20,000 mail-in ballots sent to people whose citizenship status was in question.

Immigration officials told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that dozens of non-citizens have also been arrested across the country in a major crackdown on voter fraud.

Opened absentee ballot envelopes are stacked on a table at the King County elections in Renton, Washington. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images, file)

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Floyd said investigators identified hundreds of non-citizen voters by reviewing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) records, which showed that some people who applied for certain benefits also voted.

While some people have only voted once or three times in past elections, Floyd said others have voted as many as 27 times. In total, his office counted about 1,500 cases of non-citizens voting.

He pointed out that some noncitizens have been voting for decades, before Washington transitioned to a mail-in voting system.

“I think the first moment we have is 1984,” Floyd said. “It’s the early 90s, late 80s, I think.”

However, Floyd said he did not check to see if any of the people voted in the upcoming midterm elections, explaining that he did not want to “interfere with the current election.”

The number of potential non-citizen voters might represent only a fraction of the population as a whole, Floyd said, because the list only includes individuals who seek certain benefits in Washington state.

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A resident drops an absentee ballot into a secure drop box on October 2, 2020 in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“If you take that population and expand it to include all the people who are here illegally who we haven’t had contact with, my estimate is it will be in the thousands,” Floyd said.

Federal officials said many green card holders were registered to vote without their knowledge through Washington’s Motor Voter program, which integrates voter registration with the state Department of Licensing.

“We have heard from green card holders who have been unknowingly registered through the Washington Motor Voter program. They then receive a ballot in the mail and assume they are legally registered – that is simply not the case,” the notice states.

According to the Washington Secretary of State’s website, eligible residents are only automatically registered to vote if they provide proof of U.S. citizenship during the registration process for a driver’s license or ID card.

The results prompted federal officials to identify patterns of failure in the voter registration process, Floyd said.

According to the DOJ notice, federal officials are asking Washington state to void ballots cast by the identified individuals until their citizenship status can be confirmed.

“Washington is now on notice that non-citizens are voting. It is up to the State to take steps to ensure that it does not allow these non-citizens to vote illegally,” the notice said.

Officials have warned that voting as a non-citizen can have serious consequences for those seeking to become U.S. citizens. Potential criminal charges include making false statements in a naturalization application, and some people could also face charges for fraudulent voter registration.

On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital that many illegal aliens have also admitted to illegally registering to vote or voting in U.S. elections.

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Among the dozens of suspects arrested, at least 18 had voted in a federal election.

The individuals came from various countries, including Mexico, Somalia, Honduras, Guyana, Cuba, Germany, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Vietnam, El Salvador, Cambodia, Guatemala, Portugal and Italy.

Many have also been charged with numerous alleged crimes, including forgery, fraud, kidnapping, drunk driving, sexual offenses, assault with a dangerous weapon, drug possession and burglary.