Fact Check: "DHS claims 99.99% of 9 million voter records are U.S. citizens."
What We Know
The claim that "DHS claims 99.99% of 9 million voter records are U.S. citizens" appears to stem from recent discussions surrounding the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) efforts to verify voter citizenship through a new national citizenship data system. This system, developed during the Trump administration, aims to provide state and local election officials with a means to check the citizenship status of voters against federal databases, including those from the Social Security Administration and immigration records (NPR).
The DHS has indicated that this tool could potentially verify the citizenship of a significant number of voters, but specific percentages or claims regarding the exact number of records verified as U.S. citizens have not been publicly detailed in the available sources. The context of the claim suggests a focus on the integrity of voter rolls, but the exact figure of "99.99%" is not substantiated by the cited sources.
Analysis
The claim's reliability hinges on the credibility of the sources discussing the DHS's citizenship verification system. The NPR article provides a detailed overview of the new system, emphasizing that it is designed to help election officials ensure that only U.S. citizens are voting. However, it also raises concerns about the rapid development of this system without a transparent public process, which could affect its reliability and the accuracy of the data it provides.
Additionally, the House Appropriations Committee report discusses funding for DHS initiatives but does not specifically mention the claim of 99.99% verification of voter records. This absence suggests that while DHS is working on improving voter record verification, the specific statistic may be an extrapolation or misinterpretation of the agency's broader goals rather than a direct claim made by DHS.
The lack of a clear, direct source confirming the 99.99% figure raises questions about its validity. The sources available do not provide empirical data or studies to back this claim, making it difficult to assess its accuracy.
Conclusion
Needs Research: The claim that "DHS claims 99.99% of 9 million voter records are U.S. citizens" lacks direct evidence from credible sources. While the DHS is indeed working on a system to verify voter citizenship, the specific statistic appears to be unsubstantiated. Further investigation is required to determine the origin of the claim and whether it accurately reflects DHS's findings or intentions.
