A lawsuit has been filed against Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, alleging he failed to properly maintain voter rolls, potentially allowing thousands of noncitizens to participate in the 2020 election. The legal action, initiated by the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, the Nevada GOP, and a state resident, accuses Aguilar of neglecting his legal duty to ensure voter registration accuracy.
Michael McDonald, Chair of the Nevada GOP, criticized Aguilar’s handling of voter rolls, asserting, “Any efforts to allow non-citizens to vote threatens the very foundation of our elections and diminishes the power of lawful voters across our state.” He stressed the importance of accurate voter rolls for maintaining election integrity.
The lawsuit alleges that Aguilar has not implemented necessary rules to verify voter citizenship or remove noncitizens, as required by law. It cites data from the 2020 election, suggesting that 3,987 individuals listed in DMV noncitizen records cast votes. This data is based on a sworn affidavit from former RNC Chief Data Officer Jesse Kamzol.
Kamzol’s affidavit indicated that of 110,164 non-citizen records from the DMV, 6,260 were registered voters and 3,987 voted. He acknowledged potential inaccuracies due to inconsistent name suffixes and missing birth dates.
A review by former Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske’s office found that 5,320 individuals from the DMV file were registered voters, with 4,057 participating in the 2020 election. Cegavske’s report dismissed the allegations, suggesting that some of these individuals might have naturalized before the election.
Secretary Aguilar’s spokesperson defended the current system, claiming that only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote and that existing safeguards prevent noncitizens from casting ballots. The spokesperson described the allegations as misleading and detrimental to electoral trust.
The plaintiffs are seeking a court order for Aguilar to conduct systematic maintenance of voter lists to verify citizenship and to implement these measures before the November election. They also request a declaratory judgment confirming Aguilar’s legal obligations.
