Patrick Marley for WaPo:

Noncitizen voting is exceedingly rare, research has shown, but Trump and his allies have found that focusing on the issue energizes their supporters by tying together topics that have long animated their base: illegal immigration and the threat of fraudulent voting. While that could inspire more Trump supporters to show up to the polls, voting rights activists warn that the emphasis on removing noncitizens from the voter rolls could scare away recently naturalized citizens or eligible voters who have family members who are in the country illegally….

Over the past two years, more than 150 Republican incumbents and candidates in social media posts have linked noncitizen voting to election fraud, a Washington Post analysis found. Attention on the issue exploded in the spring when House Republicans pushed for legislation to ensure noncitizens do not vote in federal elections. Currently, those registering to vote must sign a statement swearing they are a citizen, and they can be charged with a crime and deported if they falsely sign it. The Republican-backed legislation would go further by requiring people to provide documents showing they are citizens.,,,

In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has said more than 6,300 possible noncitizens have been removed from the voter rolls during his nearly three years in office. A Post review found most cases stemmed from paperwork errors. The Department of Justice and voting rights groups sued the state over how it has managed the voting rolls, and a federal judge on Friday barred election officials from automatically canceling the voter registrations of suspected noncitizens so close to the election.