How Republicans Pulled Off a Massive Voter Purge

17 million American voters have vanished from electoral rolls. Why? Because states purge electoral rolls of ineligible voters just before elections. Yet Greg Palast, an investigative reporter who has been digging into vanishing votes for years, tells AJ+ that eligible voters have been struck from the rolls too.

Often, people have had their votes purged without them even knowing.

The video transcript exposes the systematic and illegal purging of hundreds of thousands of voters from voter rolls across the United States, disproportionately affecting voters of color and young people. Investigative journalist Greg Palast reveals how states like Georgia have wrongfully removed voters by falsely claiming they have moved, died, or been imprisoned—often based on flawed or unverifiable data.

These purges are part of a broader strategy primarily orchestrated by Republican officials to suppress Democratic-leaning voters, particularly African American, Hispanic, and Asian American citizens. The transcript highlights mechanisms such as the Interstate Crosscheck system and “use it or lose it” policies, which penalize voters for inactivity or minor discrepancies in registration information.

Palast argues that voter fraud is extremely rare—less likely than being struck by lightning—and that these purges are not about preventing fraud but about disenfranchising specific voter demographics. The video calls for a fundamental change: recognizing voting as an inherent right of every American citizen and ending voter purges and restrictive ID laws to protect the integrity of democracy.