Did several non-citizens living in a Georgia apartment complex illegally register and vote, as is claimed in a video Elon Musk sent to 193 million X users? No, that's not true: The Georgia Secretary of State's office confirmed there is no public record that they registered or voted. Lead Stories Español staff went to the Norcross, Georgia, apartment building and showed those immigrants the video in which they are depicted as having voted illegally. In multiple interviews with Lead Stories' Spanish-speaking staff, the women said they did not understand the questions asked by the man and woman who appeared at their homes. The women insisted to Lead Stories staff that they never registered to vote, or had responded hastily and falsely to get rid of the questioner, who did not disclose the conversation was being recorded on video.
The accusation of illegal voting appeared in a video (archived here) posted on X, formerly Twitter, on July 31, 2024. The post's caption read:
🚨NON-CITIZENS REGISTERED IN GA🚨
Footage obtained by @realmuckraker shows numerous non-citizens admitting to being registered voters. A staggering 14% of the non-citizens spoken to admitted to being registered to voters. https://t.co/0p38irDBZH
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Oversight Project on Twitter
🚨NON-CITIZENS REGISTERED IN GA🚨
Footage obtained by @realmuckraker shows numerous non-citizens admitting to being registered voters. A staggering 14% of the non-citizens spoken to admitted to being registered to voters. https://t.co/0p38irDBZH
The video was posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, by The Oversight Project, which is operated by The Heritage Foundation.
The interviewers were a man and a woman described by one of the immigrants as "young" and "dressed as church people" who walked through the apartment complex asking residents in Spanish if they were registered to vote and if they were United States citizens.
This fact check is available in Spanish here. Lead Stories' video fact check of the Oversight Project report (embedded below) is at this link:
@leadstories Non-citizens Shown In Norcross, Georgia, Video Shared by Elon Musk Did NOT Register To Vote #immigrant #voting #noncitizenvoting #undocumented #factcheck #debunk ♬ оригінальний звук - LeadStories
Lead Stories Español visited the same apartments and spoke in Spanish (the native language of our reporter) with three women in the video, who fully identified themselves. Lead Stories is withholding the last names of Rosa, Mary and Marta to protect them from retribution or unwanted attention. But, to check their statements, Lead Stories supplied the three names and home addresses to the Georgia Secretary of State's office, which maintains voter rolls. Communications Director Robert Sinners said:
I looked up these names, and no names or even similar names are currently or previously registered to vote at this address.
All three women said they did not know they were being recorded and had not seen the Oversight Project video until Lead Stories showed it to them.
Rosa (last name withheld by Lead Stories at her request and to protect her from retribution)
The Oversight Project video showed Rosa sitting near the open door of her apartment combing her daughter's hair. The conversation was in Spanish, but here is an English translation, with the anonymous questioner identified as "OP Questioner":
OP Questioner: "Have you already been registered at work?"
Rosa: "Yes, we have."
OP Questioner: "You've already been registered?"
Rosa: "Yeah, yeah."
OP Questioner: "Are you a citizen or not a citizen?
Rosa: "No."
OP Questioner: "You're not?"
Rosa: "No, no."
Lead Stories Español reporter Edwin Mesa found Rosa at the same apartment, and she agreed to an on-camera interview after he showed her the Oversight Project video. Translated from Spanish, here's what she said:
Rosa: "They asked if I had voted and I said 'well, yes, at work I could've.'"
Mesa: "And why did you say 'yes?'"
Rosa: "Well, only for them to leave."
Mesa: "In reality, you have no intention to vote or are registered to vote?"
Rosa: "No, because we are not from here. We have no intention to vote."
Mary (last name withheld by Lead Stories at her request and to protect her from retribution)
Mary was sitting in a stairwell when the questioners approached. This is an English translation of the conversation shown in the Oversight Project video:
OP Questioner "Have you already registered at work or somewhere else?"
Mary: "I think so, we were told, but."
OP Questioner: "Are you already registered?
Mary: "I think so."
OP Questioner: "At work?"
Mary: "Uh-huh, yeah."
OP Questioner: "OK. Are you a citizen or not a citizen?"
Mary: "No."
Lead Stories found Mary sitting in the same stairwell. She agreed to talk to Mesa on camera after she watched the Oversight Project video. Translated from Spanish, here's what she said:
Mesa: "Tell me what happened that day when they questioned you about the voter registration."
Mary: "Well, they asked me if I had voted, and I said no. The truth is I'm not from here. Why would I vote in this country?"
Mesa: "That means you're not registered?"
Mary: "No."
Mesa: "Have you received any kind of 'electoral' card if they registered you at work as the video says?"
Mary: "No."
Mesa: "They did not register you at work."
Mary: "No."
Mesa: "Then why did you answer that?"
Mary: "For them to leave."
Marta (last name withheld by Lead Stories at her request and to protect her from retribution)
Marta was walking toward her apartment when confronted by the Oversight Project questioners. Translated from the Spanish on the Oversight Project video:
OP Questioner: "Are you already registered? Did you register at work or something?"
Marta: "No, Yes, I am."
OP Questioner: "Have you already registered at work?"
Marta: "Oh, OK" (appearing to shake her head).
OP Questioner: "Hey, are you a citizen or not a citizen?
Marta: "No, I am not a citizen."
Marta agreed to talk to Lead Stories after Mesa showed her the Oversight Project video. Translated from Spanish, here's what she told Lead Stories:
Marta: They came here to ask and recorded me without authorization (Yes) And I told them that I was ready to vote but to get out of the commitment because I was doing something important.
Mesa: Have you ever done this before to fill up a registration form? (showing her the form)
Marta: No
Mesa: You know that you can't vote or that you are not authorized to vote?
Marta: No
Marta told Mesa in an off-camera conversation that she felt violated by the hidden camera ambush.
The founder of Galeo, a Georgia organization that helps Latino citizens legally register to vote, says he's never seen an instance when an undocumented immigrant tried to fill out a voter application. Jerry Gonzalez, who holds a Masters in Public Administration, told Lead Stories immigrants like Rosa, Mary and Marta have "zero reasons" to do so and a big reason not to:
If you are a green card holder or visa holder and you sign up to register to vote that is a felony and that could be a deportable offense if you're an undocumented immigrant and you fill out the form. Why would you want to bring attention to your household associated with being an undocumented immigrant? But also, why would you want to commit a felony which may prevent you from ever becoming a citizen in the future as well?
In fact, the Heritage Foundation group admitted in a post on X that they found no record that the people in the video ever registered to vote and then added to the illegal registration accusation a suggestion that non-citizens use fake names and documents.
