A resurfaced claim that nearly 449,000 non-citizens in California were excused from jury duty in a single fiscal year is reigniting debate over voter registration safeguards and election integrity. The allegation has circulated for years but gained fresh traction on social media this weekend according to the California Globe, raising questions about whether non-citizens remain on voter rolls through the state’s automatic registration system.
The claim traces back to data from the California Judicial Council, which reported that about 449,000 individuals were disqualified from jury service in one fiscal year because they were not U.S. citizens. Critics argue that because jury pools are drawn in part from voter registration lists, the figure suggests a large number of non-citizens may also be registered to vote.
The controversy centers on California’s DMV-based “Motor Voter” system, which automatically registers eligible voters during DMV transactions. Opponents contend the system fails to adequately screen out ineligible individuals. Fact-checking outlets Snopes and PolitiFact, as cited in the article, have dismissed the claim as unproven or false, stating that jury summons primarily come from DMV records rather than voter rolls alone.
Conservative influencer Mila Joy amplified the allegation in a viral post on X, writing that 449,000 “registered voters” were excused from jury duty because they were not citizens. Her post garnered more than 36,000 likes and millions of views. She asserted the figure showed non-citizens remained on voter rolls despite being legally ineligible.
Skeptics point to California’s AB 60 law, in effect since 2015, which allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, expanding the DMV database used for jury summons. They argue that if the system cannot reliably separate citizens from non-citizens for jury duty, it raises concerns about election administration. Past audits have identified errors, including a 2018 incident in which about 1,500 non-citizens were mistakenly registered to vote before officials said the problem was corrected.
The debate escalated after Elon Musk reposted Mila Joy’s claim on X, asking, “Half a million known fraudulent voters?” His post drew more than 133,000 likes and 24 million views. Other users, including John Luna, described the jury duty data as evidence that the “Motor Voter” system was deeply flawed. U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee also reposted Musk’s comment, adding, “But the Democrats said illegals weren’t voting.”
The California Globe linked the resurfaced claim to its prior reporting on voter roll maintenance and election integrity. In December 2025, the outlet reported on U.S. Department of Justice findings alleging more than 260,000 deceased individuals and thousands of non-citizens were registered to vote nationwide, with California facing lawsuits over access to voter data. The outlet also noted that a voter ID initiative surpassed one million signatures, setting it for the November 2026 ballot. According to the article, polls show 71% of Californians support requiring proof of citizenship for first-time voter registration.
