Census report on noncitizen voting used flawed data, WIRED finds

September 9, 2026 at 03:00 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

A US Census Bureau report claiming 24,000 noncitizens voted in the 2020 election used flawed data and bypassed standard review, a WIRED investigation found. President Donald Trump cited the report to repeat his claim that he won the election. The report's authors include former Trump administration and Republican-linked researchers.

Key Facts

The Census Bureau report claimed 24,000 noncitizens voted in the 2020 election based on 128 million voter records.
WIRED found significant flaws in the data and approval process, and authors with ties to the Trump administration and Republican party.
Former Census Bureau chief scientist John Abowd called the report 'statistical nonsense'.
Utah's review of 2.1 million registered voters found 27 confirmed noncitizens, none confirmed to have voted.

Report Flaws

WIRED's investigation found significant flaws in the data used to compile the report and in the approval process prior to publication. The report's authors include one former affiliate of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency and two researchers from the America First Policy Institute. John Abowd, former associate director for research and methodology at the Census Bureau, called the report 'statistical nonsense'. Census Bureau sources told WIRED the errors likely represent basic analytical mistakes rather than actual noncitizen voting.

Political Reaction

President Donald Trump declared 'I WON THE ELECTION' on Truth Social after the report's publication. The White House directed WIRED to posts by Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick praising the report. The Census Bureau did not respond to a request for comment.

Voting Data Context

The report's figures range from 4,300 in California to fewer than 15 in Wyoming, not enough to affect the presidential race outcome. Utah Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson reviewed 2.1 million registered voters and found 27 confirmed noncitizens, none confirmed to have voted. Studies in Pennsylvania and Idaho have returned similar outcomes showing noncitizen voting is vanishingly small.