Newsweek, October 2024
Naturalized citizens could have an impact on the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, according to experts. Naturalized citizens made up a record number of eligible voters in 2022, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Almost 24 million naturalized citizens were eligible to vote that year, accounting for about 10 percent of the U.S. electorate. And the numbers have grown since then as the federal government continues processing citizenship applications at the fastest rate in a decade.
Applications are now being processed in just under five months on average as President Joe Biden’s administration works to reduce a backlog built up during Donald Trump’s administration and the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost four million immigrants have gained U.S citizenship since the 2020 election, the Los Angeles Times reported last month, citing federal government figures.
