[This is an update of an item originally posted on 8/20/26]
Amy O’Hara, Director of the Massive Data Institute at the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University
"Rigorous scientific research into voting in U.S. elections consistently finds that noncitizen voting is incredibly rare. ... Despite the substantial evidence, the Trump administration has attempted a new tactic to revive the lie: abusing the U.S. Census Bureau’s sterling reputation for high-quality analysis. The report “Noncitizen Voting in the 2020 Election, A Beginning Analysis,” published under the Census Bureau’s banner, but with no attribution, raises numerous red flags on methods and research integrity."
Catherine Rampell, The Bulwark, August 20, 2026 (requires subscription)
"When we hear official announcements about things like unemployment or inflation, can we rely on those figures to accurately reflect reality, and to be based on proven models? Up until now, I have always said yes. ... Unfortunately, I can no longer vouch for any of that. Now my answer is: No, you should not default to trusting the government data. There’s clear evidence the Trump administration is cooking at least some of the books. That’s because this week we crossed the Rubicon: The granddaddy of all statistical agencies—the U.S. Census Bureau, which has existed in some fashion since 17903—was infiltrated...."
NPR, Aug 20
"A highly unusual Census Bureau report that President Trump is using to reup dubious claims of widespread illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens has ties to a Trump-aligned think tank, NPR has learned."
Mike Schneider / Count of Counting, Aug 19
"NO STATISTICIAN OR researcher at the U.S. Census Bureau attached their name to yesterday’s report stating that 24,000 noncitizens voted in the 2020 election, and that should tell you something. Every other report on the bureau’s “Census Publications” site is credited to a statistician, economist, demographer or researcher.
"Then again, few Census Bureau publications are ever used as evidence by the president of the United States to claim an election was stolen. But that’s exactly what President Donald Trump did yesterday, proclaiming on “Truth Social” that he had won the 2020 presidential election. Just to be clear, Trump lost to President Joe Biden by 7 million votes in an election in which 160 million voters cast ballots."
J. David Brown, U.S. Census Bureau, and Misty L. Heggeness, University of Kansas and U.S. Census Bureau, June 2024. Working Paper Number: CES-24-31
"We find significant heterogeneity in sensitivity to the citizenship question among households containing Hispanics, naturalized citizens, and noncitizens."
