Washington Secretary of State Admits Lack of Citizenship Verification

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs announced on October 29 that the state lacks a system to verify whether individuals registering to vote are U.S. citizens. Speaking at a press conference in King County, Hobbs admitted that it is not unusual for noncitizens to appear on voter rolls, though he stated that only 15 cases of noncitizen voting were recorded between 1982 and 2025.

The admission follows a federal identification of more than 400 suspected noncitizens registered to vote in Washington. While federal officials requested that ballots for these individuals be set aside, Hobbs noted that preliminary analysis indicates some people on the list are citizens or are already unregistered. He has requested individualized proof of ineligibility before taking action.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd criticized the state's reliance on self-attestation, accusing Washington of knowingly sending ballots to noncitizens. Floyd noted that some noncitizens interviewed believed they could vote because the state sent them ballots, and warned that registering noncitizens could jeopardize their future ability to obtain citizenship.