The
Secretary of State for
Texas has countered online claims that Social Security Administration data shows the number of voters registering without photographic identification is skyrocketing in Texas, Pennsylvania, and
Arizona due to illegal immigration. “The number of voters registering without a photo ID is SKYROCKETING IN 3 key swing states: Arizona, Texas, and Pennsylvania,” a post on
Social Media platform X read, referring to Social Security data to claim that there were 220,731 such registrations in Arizona; 1,250,710 in Texas; and 580,513 in Pennsylvania. “HAVV allows voters to register with a Social Security Number (4 digits). Illegals are not able to get licenses there. But they can get Social Security cards (for work authorization permits),” the post added. HAVV refers to the Social Security Administration’s Help America Vote Verification system. Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, a
Republican, described the social media-driven claims as “inaccurate reports” in a recent news release. “It is totally inaccurate that 1.2 million voters have registered to vote in Texas without a photo ID this year,” the secretary said, adding that voter rolls only increased by 57,711 voters since the start of 2024 in Texas. The state currently has approximately 17.9 million registered voters, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website. When residents in Texas register to vote, the secretary of state’s release added, “they must provide a driver license number or a Social Security number” and as an “individual registers to vote with just a SSN, the state verifies that the SSN is authentic.” “The 1.2 million figure comes from the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) website, which is supposed to report the number of times states have asked to verify an individual’s social security number. The SSA number is clearly incorrect, and we are working now to determine why there is such a large discrepancy,” the office added. Texas requires a voter to show proof of ID to vote, the secretary’s office said, noting that federal law allows a person to vote without one. In Pennsylvania, there had been more than 75,000 new voter registrations, not more than 580,000, Matt Heckel, a spokesperson for the
Pennsylvania Department of State, told The Associated Press. There were approximately 8.7 million registered voters in the state on Monday, he said. Individuals in most states register to vote with either their driver’s license number, state ID number, or the last four digits of their social security number. States use the first two options to verify the individual’s identity with departments of motor vehicles. This accounts for “the vast majority” of voters, according to Mr. Becker. A voter’s identity can be verified using the third option through the SSA system. “Illegal
immigration has taken center stage as a defining issue this presidential
election year. Other Monmouth polling found this to be Biden’s weakest policy area, including among his fellow Democrats,” said Patrick Murray, the head of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, in a release. There have been longstanding concerns among
Republicans and President
Donald Trump that the recent surge in illegal immigration could lead to an increase in illegal voting in
elections. Earlier this year, the former president said in Iowa that he believes
Democrats want more and more illegal immigrants to enter the
United States “because they want to sign these people up to vote.” He added at the time: “They can’t speak a word of English for the most part, but they’re signing them up.”
Tesla CEO
Elon Musk also wrote on X that Democrats are “importing voters” by allowing mass immigration into the United States. Last month, he warned that “unvetted illegal immigrants” coming into the United States represent a “national security threat.” “It is highly probable that the groundwork is being laid for something far worse than 9/11. Just a matter of time,” Mr. Musk said, while suggesting that some of those individuals will illegally vote in elections.