A social media post went viral last week after interpreting Social Security Administration data to suggest a spike in voter registrations submitted without an ID in key states that also permit illegal immigrants to get Social Security numbers. That’s not quite what the data means, according to election officials and election law experts, but the data still raises more concerning questions than it answers.
“The number of voters registering without a photo ID is SKYROCKETING in 3 key swing states: Arizona, Texas, and Pennsylvania,” an account named “End Wokeness” posted on X.
Since the start of 2024:
TX: 1,250,710
PA: 580,513
AZ: 220,731
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 tweet, which linked to public SSA data, gained quite a bit of attention, including from X CEO Elon Musk, who called the data “extremely concerning.” The data doesn’t appear to indicate exactly what the social media firestorm assumed, but those who reacted to the viral claim are right to be concerned about lax requirements for proving citizenship.
What the HAVV Numbers Represent
The 2002 Help America Vote Act requires states to check information about newly registered voters in federal elections against the individual’s information (such as a driver’s license) stored in the state’s motor vehicle administration database. As the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators explains, HAVA “also mandates that [state
