This year, observers should be wary of voter fraud claims made by government officials and private groups, even if those claims cite federal government data. Many such false or misleading claims promoted over the past year have relied primarily on the flawed Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, which this article addresses in detail.

The second Trump administration has been engaged in a concerted campaign to undermine elections. Part of that involves collecting state voter files and using federal data sources to lend pseudolegitimacy to false claims of widespread fraud. While there may be valid ways to use federal data to support election officials’ efforts to keep voter rolls accurate and up to date, there are notable shortcomings in such data, and it may be misused to spread misinformation.

To properly assess any claim of voter fraud based on federal data, it is important to understand the flaws in the data, common analytical pitfalls, and the ways faulty data may be exploited to disenfranchise eligible voters and erode confidence in elections.

In recent election cycles, private groups and a small handful of state officials have latched on to faulty data to cast doubt on the accuracy and reliability of state voter rolls and to allege widespread voter fraud. This year, our elections are facing a new threat: a federal government seeking to unlawfully insert itself into voter list maintenance. The administration has enlisted the Department of...

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