白宮推動加速審查選民名冊，追查非公民選民

作者：克里斯蒂娜・庫克（Kristina Cooke）、彼得・艾斯勒（Peter Eisler）By Kristina Cooke and Peter Eisler

9月24日（路透社）——路透社看到的一封內部電子郵件顯示，白宮已推動聯邦機關加快審查至少47州的選民名冊，這些名冊由美國國土安全部（Department of Homeland Security, DHS）取得。這是一項前所未見行動的一部分，目的是在期中選舉接近之際，從登記選民中找出非公民。Sept 24 (Reuters) - The White House has pushed federal agencies to accelerate their review of at least 47 state voter rolls obtained by the Department of Homeland Security, according to an internal email seen by Reuters, part of an unprecedented effort to find noncitizens among registered voters as midterm elections near.

現任與前任官員表示，近幾個月來，國土安全部已從美國安全與移民體系各單位大舉調派數百名官員，依據其「非法選民倡議」（Unlawful Voter Initiative）逐一檢視名冊，尋找選民舞弊證據。DHS has surged hundreds of officers from across the US security and immigration apparatuses in recent months to comb the rolls for evidence of voter fraud under its Unlawful Voter Initiative, current and former officials said.

這封由一名國土安全部官員於9月1日寄出的電子郵件，向同事簡報選民名冊審查情況。郵件顯示，這項行動由白宮主導，且機關官員正難以達成為他們設定的目標。郵件其中一處指出，一名國土安全部官員「已提出，如果我們無法取得進展，將向白宮幕僚長反映」，這是指白宮幕僚長蘇西・懷爾斯（Susie Wiles）。The September 1 email sent by a DHS official briefs colleagues on the review of voter rolls. It shows how the effort is being directed by the White House — and that agency officials are struggling to meet the goals set out for them. At one point, it notes that a DHS official "has offered to raise with the WH COS if we can't get forward progress," a reference to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

這封電子郵件也揭露，該機關正使用一家商業資料仲介，尋找公開名冊未列入的敏感選民資訊；官員與專家警告，這可能導致公民被錯誤標記為非法選民，甚至可能遭拘留。The email also reveals that the agency is using a commercial data broker to find sensitive voter information not included in publicly available rolls, which officials and experts warn could lead to citizens being falsely flagged as illegal voters and potentially detained.

這項審查是美國總統川普（Donald Trump）為證明其長期說法而採取的最新行動。他一直主張，美國選舉中非公民投票情況普遍，但這項說法一再因缺乏證據而站不住腳。The review is the latest attempt by President Donald Trump to vindicate his longstanding assertion that noncitizen voting is widespread in US elections – a claim that has collapsed repeatedly for lack of evidence.

他的政府也敦促共和黨人在至少15個地方將投票「全國化」，並試圖限制郵寄投票，儘管美國憲法賦予各州而非聯邦政府對選務管理的主要權限。His administration has also urged Republicans to “nationalize” voting in at least 15 places and sought to restrict mail-in balloting, even though the US Constitution gives states, not the federal government, primary authority over election administration.

批評人士表示，追查非公民選民是削弱民眾對選舉信心的更廣泛策略之一，並警告這可能剝奪合法選民的投票權。多項研究與稽核——包括路透社7月的一項分析——發現，美國選舉中投下的未經授權選票數量在統計上微不足道。Critics say the hunt for noncitizen voters is part of a broader strategy to undermine confidence in elections and warn it could disenfranchise legal voters. Multiple studies and audits - including a Reuters analysis in July - have found that the number of unauthorized votes cast in US elections is statistically insignificant.

路透社本週發現，自2000年以來，各州可能因軟體故障與文書錯誤，將逾3萬名非公民加入選民名冊；但目前不清楚其中有多少人曾投票，專家也表示，相較於全國1.7億名登記選民，這些數字太小，不足以影響選舉。Reuters found this week that states may have added more than 30,000 noncitizens to their voter rolls since 2000 due to software glitches and clerical errors, but it was unclear how many had cast a ballot, and experts said the numbers were too small relative to the country’s 170 million registered voters to affect elections.

路透社7月的一項審查發現，自1996年「外國人投票」法條制定以來，只有129人依該法條遭起訴。此後數月，川普政府已依該法條再起訴至少20人。A Reuters review in July found that only 129 people had been charged under the “Voting by Aliens” statute since its 1996 enactment. The Trump administration has charged at least 20 more under the statute in the months since.

白宮在聲明中表示，所有可能涉及非公民投票的案件都將追究。國土安全部表示，其調查行動「依照法律勤勉且專業地執行」，為「我國選舉結果的真實性提供一項重要保證」。The White House said in a statement that all cases of potential noncitizen voting would be pursued. DHS said its investigative efforts are "conducted diligently and professionally in accordance with the law," providing "an essential guarantee in the authenticity of our election results."

誤判陽性FALSE POSITIVES

目前不清楚國土安全部如何取得9月電子郵件所提到的47州選民名冊。It is unclear how DHS obtained the voter rolls from the 47 states referenced in the September email.

自去年重返白宮以來，川普政府已要求幾乎每一州提供未遮蔽的選民名冊。紐約大學法學院布倫南司法中心（Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law）指出，至少16州已同意交出未作任何遮蔽的完整名冊，但多數州拒絕配合。Since returning to office last year, Trump’s administration has demanded unredacted voter rolls from nearly every state. While at least 16 states have agreed to hand over complete rolls with no redactions, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, most have refused to comply.

因此，國土安全部似乎仰賴移除部分個人資料的公開版選民名冊，例如駕照與社會安全號碼。郵件顯示，為補足缺漏，國土安全部已用向Accurint購買的資訊「充實」這些遮蔽後名冊；Accurint是一項蒐集並販售個人資料的私人服務。As a consequence, DHS appears to have relied on public versions of voter rolls with certain personal data removed, such as drivers’ license and Social Security numbers. To fill the gaps, the email shows, DHS has “enriched” the redacted rolls with information bought from Accurint, a private service that collects and sells personal data.

擁有Accurint的LexisNexis拒絕回應。LexisNexis, which owns Accurint, declined to comment.

這封電子郵件顯示，聯邦調查人員正將增補後的選民名冊資料，與其他政府資料庫紀錄進行比對，以辨識可能的非公民；這些資料庫包括移民暨海關執法局（Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE）、美國公民及移民服務局（US Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS）、美國國務院與社會安全局。Federal investigators are matching the augmented voter roll data with records from other government databases -- including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the US State Department and the Social Security Administration -- to identify potential noncitizens, the email showed.

國土安全部長馬克韋恩・穆林（Markwayne Mullin）週六告訴福斯新聞：「我們目前有1,620起正在調查中的案件，而且這份名單每天都在增加。」“We have 1,620 cases moving right now that are under investigation,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Fox News on Saturday, “and that list grows every single day.”

但電子郵件指出，國土安全部取得的選民名冊中，有些姓名缺少關鍵細節，例如出生年份，使得在不同資料庫間進行比對變得困難。But some names in the voter rolls obtained by DHS lacked key details, such as year of birth, making it difficult to match them across various databases, according to the email.

一名美國官員表示，近幾週送交探員的線索經常包含誤判陽性，包括與移民姓名相似的公民。另一名熟悉這項行動的人士表示，這項工作也錯誤納入了在海外出生的美國公民。And a US official said the leads sent to agents in recent weeks often included false positives, including citizens who had similar names as immigrants. Another person familiar with the effort said it also mistakenly swept in US citizens born abroad.

郵件稱，對於審查所標記的個人是否為「已登記投票和／或已投票」的非公民，國土安全部只有「某種程度的信心」。DHS had only  “some degree of confidence” that the individuals flagged by the review were noncitizens who had "registered to vote and/or voted,” the email said.

國土安全部前副總法律顧問凱瑞・道爾（Kerry Doyle）表示，即使只是被標記，也會帶來「非常真實的生活後果」，包括搭機旅行時受到額外審查，以及可能讓申請歸化者面臨麻煩。Even being flagged "has very real life consequences," including additional scrutiny during air travel and possible complications for those seeking naturalization, said Kerry Doyle, a former DHS deputy general counsel.

道爾說：「一旦系統中出現標記，就非常難以修正。這會徹底打亂你的生活。」"When there is a flag in the system, it's very difficult to fix it. It totally upends your life," Doyle said.

白宮角色WHITE HOUSE ROLE

三名熟悉此事的人士表示，在通常負責處理合法移民申請的美國公民及移民服務局，數百名詐欺偵測與國家安全官員被重新指派參與這項行動，自8月起至少為期3週。At USCIS, which typically processes legal immigration applications, hundreds of fraud detection and national security officers were reassigned to the effort for at least three weeks starting in August, according to three people familiar with the matter.

其中一人表示，官員被要求達成每小時審查5個姓名的目標，並指出這項目標很少達成。Officers were given a goal of vetting five names per hour, one of the people said, noting the target was rarely met.

這名美國官員表示，國土安全調查局（Homeland Security Investigations）——ICE轄下通常調查人口販運等跨境犯罪的部門——的探員也被指示大舉投入資源，以判定可能的非公民是否可因非法投票遭起訴。Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of ICE that usually investigates cross-border crimes such as human trafficking, were also instructed to surge resources to determine whether potential noncitizens could be charged with voting illegally, the US official said.

這封電子郵件稱，在8月底與白宮通話後，國土安全部官員召開會議，會中「ICE團隊似乎既不清楚其主管已承諾哪些事項，也表示不確定他們實際上是否能執行，尤其是在所要求的數量下」。After a late August call with the White House, the email said, DHS officials held a meeting in which "the ICE team appeared both unaware of what their leadership had committed to and also indicated they weren't sure they could actually execute, particularly at the volume being sought.”

一些州表示，川普政府無法提出證據支持其關於選民舞弊猖獗的說法。Some states have said the administration has been unable to back up its assertions of rampant voter fraud.

例如在內華達州，國土安全部7月表示，已在該州選民名冊上辨識出近1萬6,000名可能的非公民。內華達州要求提供證據後，國土安全部表示該數字仍屬初步結果，且只驗證了其中185起案件；上述說法來自內華達州州務卿辦公室。In Nevada, for example, DHS said in July it had identified nearly 16,000 potential noncitizens on state voter rolls. Pressed by the state for evidence, DHS said the figure was preliminary and it had verified just 185 of those cases, according to the office of Nevada’s secretary of state.

該辦公室表示，國土安全部拒絕提供該州要求的更多資訊，以查證最初的主張。The office said DHS declined to provide additional information requested by the state to verify the initial claims.

（克里斯蒂娜・庫克舊金山、彼得・艾斯勒華盛頓報導；湯姆・哈爾斯補充報導；傑西・梅斯納-哈格與迪帕・巴賓頓編輯）(Reporting by Kristina Cooke in San Francisco and Peter Eisler in Washington. Additional reporting by Tom Hals. Editing by Jesse Mesner-Hage and Deepa Babington)