Election 2026

J.D. Vance Claims 'Illegal Immigrant Somalis' Conspired To 'Flood the Polls' in Ohio

The vice president's tall tale could be a preview of Republicans' sore-loser complaints after the midterm elections.

Jacob Sullum | 11.4.2026 10:05 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

(Aaron Schwartz/Pool via CNP/Zuma Press/Newscom)

Vice President J.D. Vance has made it clear that he will happily spread rumors about the malicious misdeeds of unauthorized immigrants even when they have no basis in fact. Vance was at it again on Monday, when he told the crowd at a campaign stop in Swanton, Ohio, that he "saw a story" about "illegal immigrant Somalis who are coordinating to flood the polls and drown out your vote."

NewsGuard's Sam Howard could not find any such story. The closest thing he came across was an October 30 post on X by right-wing commentator Laura Loomer, who averred that Somali immigrants in Ohio were illegally politicking for Democrats while standing less than 100 feet from polling places. As an example, Loomer presented video of Abdirizak Ahmed, an immigrant rights activist, speaking outside an early voting location in Columbus, which is mostly located in Franklin County. But Antone White, who directs the Franklin County Board of Elections, told Howard that Ahmed was clearly standing outside the 100-foot "campaign line," which was "marked with a blue arc."

In any case, Loomer did not explicitly say anything about illegal voting by "immigrant Somalis," although she did say the targets of the politicking were "foreign born Somalis," adding, "who knows if these people are even here legally." Maybe that was good enough for Vance?

If so, he probably should have paused to consider the obstacles to executing the scheme he described. Ohio does not allow voting by noncitizens, even in local elections, and voters in that state are required to present a photo ID and "proof of citizenship." For the latter purpose, voters can offer a passport, a birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization or citizenship, or "a current Ohio driver license or........

© Reason.com