Raffensperger’s Citizenship Verification Efforts Lead to Federal Enforcement
Atlanta - Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s years-long effort to ensure only American citizens participate in Georgia elections is now assisting federal law enforcement to investigate and prosecute alleged violations of federal election law.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced federal charges against three foreign nationals accused of illegally voting in federal elections in Georgia. Federal prosecutors specifically credited Raffensperger's office with providing “valuable assistance” in the investigations.
“Only American citizens should decide American elections,” said Secretary Raffensperger. “Georgia has led the nation in citizenship verification because protecting every lawful vote requires enforcing the law. I appreciate our federal law enforcement partners for taking these cases seriously, and my office will continue working with them to ensure anyone who illegally registers or votes is held accountable.”
The federal cases involve allegations spanning multiple elections. Prosecutors allege that one defendant voted in three federal elections between 2020 and 2024, another voted in the 2024 federal election using a false identity, and a third voted nine times between 2008 and 2024.
The prosecutions are the latest development in an effort Raffensperger began years ago to strengthen citizenship verification in Georgia elections.
In 2022, Raffensperger ordered the first citizenship audit of Georgia’s voter rolls in state history, using information from the Georgia Department of Driver Services and the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. That review identified 1,634 individuals who had attempted to register but whose citizenship could not be verified through SAVE. Georgia’s existing citizenship-verification safeguards prevented those individuals from being added to the voter rolls or casting ballots.
Raffensperger subsequently referred cases to local district attorneys, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the State Election Board for further investigation.
Raffensperger has also pushed for stronger citizenship safeguards beyond Georgia.
He has repeatedly called for nationwide citizenship verification, improvements to the federal SAVE system and a constitutional amendment making explicit that only U.S. citizens may vote. He has also supported documentary proof of citizenship requirements for federal voter registration.
Georgia’s approach combines citizenship verification at registration, statewide audits and cooperation with state and federal law enforcement when potential violations are identified.
“These cases show exactly why citizenship verification matters,” Raffensperger said. “Georgia will verify the voters, investigate potential violations, and work with law enforcement to enforce the law. American elections belong to American citizens. Period.”