In three recent posts to X, Elon Musk said that (1) illegal immigrants “cannot be prevented from voting in federal elections,” (2) “you don’t need a government-issued ID to vote,” and (3) Democrats “import voters.” I am,” he wrote.

To refute those statements, new york times Published article by Jim Rutenberg and Kate Conger Musk claims he is 'spreading misinformation about the election' It speaks of “illegal voting by noncitizens” and reflects a “conspiracy theory” popularized by Donald Trump.

Musk's words are inaccurate, but the gist of what he wrote is correct, and the Times is dead wrong.

illegal voter registration

In response to Musk's first two points, the Times argued that “federal law requires voters to verify their identity when registering.” A hyperlink in this sentence leads to a document from the liberal Brennan Center for Justice that argues that the 2002 federal voting law's “new identification requirements” “could significantly threaten the rights of voters…”

How Although not disclosed by the Times, the Brennan Center's document includes legal ID requirements, including, as Musk writes, a government-issued ID or proof of citizenship. do not have. The document states that a “utility bill” or “bank statement” is sufficient to comply with the law. The text of the 2002 law and current U.S. election law confirm this.

Furthermore, in 2013 The Supreme Court's ruling sided with Musk and contradicted the Times, explaining that the national voter registration form “does not require documentation of citizenship.” Rather, it only requires applicants to state under penalty of perjury that they are nationals. ”

in fact, A 2013 court ruling blocked Arizona from requiring “documentation of citizenship” to register to vote.e. Similarly, a 2020 appellate court decision barred other states from doing the same, and the Obama administration filed a brief arguing that result.

To be clear, federal law and the laws of all 50 states require you to be a U.S. citizen to register to vote in a federal election, and federal law does not allow you to misrepresent your citizenship to register to vote. It is prohibited to do so. Liing about this is punishable by up to five years in prison. but, Enforcement mechanisms for such laws are limited, and opportunities to circumvent them are ample.

Barack Obama summed up the situation just before the 2016 US presidential election when actress Gina Rodriguez asked if “Dreamers” and “illegal aliens” would be deported if they voted. Mr. Obama replied:

wrong. The reason is that, first of all, when you vote, you yourself are a citizen. And there is no situation where somehow the voting rolls are transferred and people start doing research.

After getting around the fact that “Dreamers” and “illegal immigrants” are not citizens; President Obama's clear message was that there is no effective way to enforce laws that prohibit voting.

And while President Trump's Advisory Commission on Election Integrity asked states to provide “detailed, publicly available voter roll data” that could be checked against other databases that include information on citizenship status, each state refused to hand over the data and filed a series of objections. Lawsuit seeking suspension of commission. Words from the California Secretary of State:

Commission is allowed to request personal data from California voters, but cannot force me to provide it. Please reassure California voters. I will not provide my constituents' personal data to the committee. …

Yesterday's judgment is just the first in a series of lawsuits against the European Commission. These lawsuits send a strong message that the commission will face opposition every step of the way from those who fight to protect our voting rights, privacy, and democratic principles.

Note that while California claimed that the commission requested “personal data,” in fact the commission explicitly requested “publicly available voter roll data.”

It takes on added significance that California fraudulently denied the request and gave non-citizens ample leeway to vote. This is based on the following testimony given by California State Senate Majority Leader Kevin de Leon, a Democrat, in 2017.

Half of my family will be subject to deportation under the following conditions: [Trump’s] Because if they get a fake Social Security card, if they get a fake ID, if they get a fake driver's license, if they get a… fake green card. And whoever has We know that nearly all undocumented families have secured some form of false identification..

fraudulent voting

The paper also claims that “instances of illegal voting by non-citizens are rare,” with a link to PolitiFact, an organization with a track record of publishing flagrant falsehoods about illegal voting and many other issues. supports that claim.

Although data on violations of laws with weak enforcement mechanisms are rare, scientific studies of noncitizens generally find that:

· 13% of Hispanic non-citizens admitted to being registered to vote in 2013.

· 14% of all non-citizens admitted to being registered to vote in 2012, and 9% said they “definitely voted” in the 2012 U.S. presidential election.

· 15% of all non-citizens admitted to being registered to vote in 2008, and 8% said they “definitely voted” in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

These rates apply only to self-admitted activities. A check of databases and voting and registration records shows the actual turnout was about twice as high. In 2008, the year for which Just Facts has complete data, 27% of non-citizens were registered to vote, of which 16% actually voted.

The studies that generated the data above contain large margins of error due to relatively small sample sizes. There are also other sources of uncertainty, some of which may lead to overcounts and some undercounts. However, considering Census Bureau estimates; There are approximately 20 million noncitizen adults living in the United States, and if only 5% of them voted, there would be 1 million illegal votes cast in every federal election..

As a 2014 paper published in the journal Election Studies summarized, “some noncitizens participate in U.S. elections,” and “this participation is not meaningful, including in Electoral College votes and Congressional elections.” It's big enough to change the outcome of an election.”

Some media and ““Fact checkers” have attempted to refute this reality, but numerous facts from academic books and journals show that their arguments are made up of mathematically illiterate concepts, half-truths, and outright falsehoods. It shows that it is. In addition to this, a “fact checker” made defamatory accusations against Dr. Scholars who have conducted and scrutinized useful research on this issue.

“Great alternative”

The Times also claims “Musk hinted that immigration policy may be lax because Biden and the Democratic Party are 'importing voters,' which echoes the 'Great Successor' conspiracy shared by Trump at the same time. It's an echo of theory.”

A hyperlink in that sentence leads to another Times article. Republicans accused of promoting 'Great Replacement' theory It was “used to justify acts of racist violence” in the 2022 killing of 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket.

The Times and other media outlets are tarring Republicans like this. Related crime tactics. But when similar atrocities are committed by people who parrot false stories, news organizations acquiesce.

The Times article doesn't even try to refute Musk's points, simply calling them a “conspiracy.” However, multiple facts prove that what Musk wrote is true.

for example, Among noncitizens who said they voted in 2008, 82% said they voted for Democrat Barack Obama, but only 18% said they voted for Republican John McCain.

Eliseo Medina, former executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union, cited figures that trivialized the number of noncitizens who vote illegally, saying in a 2009 speech:

The “progressive community” is “expanding the progressive coalition for the future” by putting “12 million” unauthorized immigrants “on a path to citizenship and ultimately voting.” , can be strengthened.

· Turning illegal immigrants into citizens would create a progressive “government coalition that lasts not just the electoral period, but the long term.”

Undocumented immigrants and other non-citizens generally have low incomes and are disproportionately likely to lack a high school diploma. The majority of people with these attributes vote Democratic.

Noncitizens' lopsided voting for Democrats coincides with Democratic politicians' promises and actions to provide free health care, amnesty, and citizenship to people immigrating to the United States., illegally or legally. The electoral implications of this are further emphasized by the following facts:

· In a 2011 nationally representative bilingual poll of 784 immigrant Latinos conducted by Pew Research, 81% said they preferred “a bigger government that provides more services,” while 12% said they preferred “a bigger government that provides more services.” % said they would prefer “a smaller government that provides fewer services.” In stark contrast, 41% of the general U.S. population said they wanted a bigger government, and 48% said they wanted a smaller government.

· A 2012 poll of 2,900 immigrants who are American citizens found that 62% identified as Democrats, 25% as Republicans, and 13% as independents.

A nationally representative bilingual poll of 800 Hispanic adults conducted by McLaughlin & Associates in 2013 found that 59% were born outside the United States and 53% considered themselves Democrats. It found that 12% of Americans identify as Republicans, and 29% consider themselves Republican. Independent or another political party.

The fact that illegal immigration, amnesty, and legal immigration help the Democratic Party's political prospects is indisputable and not a conspiracy.

conclusion

In addition to attacking Musk for posting real facts about illegal voting by non-citizens, the Times article goes on to say that “Company X's fact checkers are long gone,” and that former “Company “The lines of grievance have disappeared,” he said. [Biden] The campaign and platform are over. ”

The Times laments these developments, but it also points out that pre-Musk Twitter censored real facts and promoted outright falsehoods about Russiagate, Hunter Biden's laptop, COVID-19, and more. Not reported.

In other words, the New York Times is falsely accusing Elon Musk of the very thing that the former owners of the Times and Twitter are guilty of: spreading misinformation.

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This article Published in just everyday facts Reprinted with permission.