San Francisco reportedly spent $310,000 on a new registration system aimed at getting non-citizens to cast votes in school board elections.
The program resulted in 49 new voters, which turned out to cost the city $6,326 each, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The paper called the effort “pretty much a bust the first time out.”
Local officials suggest residents who might otherwise consider registering are worried the Trump administration would learn their identities.
The voters are only able to vote in a school board race. John Arntz, the city elections chief, In San Francisco, noncitizens who opt to vote will be listed on a separate roster from citizens and will get a ballot with just the school board contest, city elections chief John Arntz said.