FIRST ON FOX: Election watchdog warns against non-citizen voting, foreign currency boom
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FIRST ON FOX: As the future of Congress and President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda hang in the balance in the midterm elections, the Honest Elections Project warns of significant loopholes in the voting system, including the expansion of non-citizen voting and outside influence.
As many state legislatures hold their final sessions before the 2026 midterms, HEP believes it has “one last chance” to pass “critical reforms” needed to close loopholes that undermine the legitimacy and trust of the electoral process.
In a report first shared with Fox News Digital, HEP identifies 14 key risks to election integrity that it says must be addressed before the midterms.
Among those at risk are hundreds of millions of foreign currency that helped shape voting patterns in 26 states, according to HEP.
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Non-citizen voting is a top integrity concern in the 2026 midterm elections. (JD Pooley/Getty Images)
The report says that although foreigners are prohibited from donating to political candidates, perpetrators have found a legal loophole to contribute to vote-rigging campaigns that can include attempts to change constitutions and electoral laws. The report refers to these campaigns as a “Trojan Horse of foreign influence,” including “hostile foreign countries like China and Russia.”
To combat this, the HEP drafted a model law called the “Law Prohibiting International Funding of Voting Measures” to prohibit direct or indirect foreign funding, including by moderate non-profit organizations, of voting programs. In addition to this, the law requires sponsors and voting committees to certify that they do not have foreign capital to qualify and imposes stiff penalties for violations.
The report also warns of a “growing number” of blue-chip cities, including Washington, DC, and New York, which it says have been working to recruit non-citizens and illegal aliens. HEP said most state constitutions grant voting rights to any or “all” citizens, with language that is open to “liberal activists.” [to] to oppose local permits to authorize non-citizen voting and illegal foreign voting.”
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A voting sign is seen outside city hall for New York’s 3rd district special election in Glen Cove, NY, Sunday, February 4, 2024. Former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi and Republican Mazi Pilip are running for the seat. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
According to HEP, this problem is also compounded by the current state law that allows unscrupulous people to simply check a box to claim they are citizens on the National Voter Registration Form.
Pushing back on this, HEP urges countries to amend their constitutions to expressly allow only citizens to vote. The group said such language was spread across 15 states: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, Ohio, Iowa, Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin.
Additionally, HEP urges states to pass the Documentary Proof of Citizenship Act, which requires voters to provide proof of citizenship to participate in state and local elections. The bill also makes it a crime for non-citizens to apply to register to vote or for election officials to register voters without proof of citizenship or to count illegal votes. This is an approach that HEP believes is “consistent with Federal law and serves to protect the integrity of voting processes at the federal level.”
The HEP sets out five other pieces of model legislation: the Interstate Voter Assistance Act, the Never Resided Act, the Procedural Election Audits Act, the Uniform Election Dates Act and a bill to prohibit government agencies from using donations or goods in kind or services from a private or non-governmental company in the administration of elections.
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US President Donald Trump speaks to guests as he visits the Machine Shed restaurant on January 27, 2026 in Urbandale, Iowa. President Trump is scheduled to speak later at the Horizon Events Center in Clive, Iowa. He is returning to Iowa for a second term before the midterm elections. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Addressing these issues, HEP Executive Director Jason Snead said “many states have made great strides in making it easier to vote and harder to vote fraud in recent years, but there is still a lot of work to be done.”
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“State lawmakers have one last chance to reform their election laws before the critical 2026 election season,” continued Snead, adding, “The Honest Elections Project is proud to provide guidance for lawmakers to continue promoting election integrity across the country.”
