The difference between maintaining voter rolls and purging them
Accurate voter registration lists are essential to fair, efficient elections. But the Trump administration’s efforts to identify and remove alleged noncitizens from voter rolls rely on flawed data-matching practices that risk disenfranchising eligible U.S. citizens.
Why maintaining voter rolls matters
Election officials routinely update voter registration lists to reflect changes such as people moving or dying. Federal law requires these efforts to be uniform and nondiscriminatory, with safeguards to ensure eligible voters are not improperly removed.
When maintenance becomes a purge
The Trump administration is expanding the use of federal databases to flag alleged noncitizens, despite concerns that incomplete or outdated records can incorrectly identify eligible voters. In Nevada, federal officials flagged nearly 16,000 voters as potential noncitizens in July 2026, but state officials determined that all 185 people ultimately referred for review were U.S. citizens.
These results illustrate the danger of treating unreliable data matches as evidence of wrongdoing. The administration is following an old playbook to produce inflated numbers that can then be used to confuse voters, spread a false narrative about voter fraud, and justify voter suppression.
Recent polling from AP-NORC finds 6 in 10 U.S. adults believe President Trump is profiting from the presidency either through unethical or illegal means. From pardons and dropped investigations to regulatory rollbacks, the American people seem to think that White House policy is being sold to the highest bidder.
CAP has been tracking Trump’s take since the start of his second term, and as of today, he and his family have received nearly $3 BILLION in cash and gifts.
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