This week, the House advanced legislation that would compel states to cleanse their voter rolls and increase the number of proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting in federal elections.
The House approved the Republican-sponsored Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act by a vote of 221 to 198, with five Democrats voting in favor.
The bill’s sponsor, Representative Chip Roy (R-TX), said in an interview with Breitbart News Daily in June that there is “repeated proof” of non-citizens casting ballots.
Roy stated, “Let me just say this about the general situation of the election problem.” “There is consistent evidence of non-citizens voting, regardless of whether they are here lawfully or not.”
The act would prohibit state election authorities from registering voters for federal elections unless the candidates could provide proof of their American citizenship.
In a policy brief on the measure, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) declared, “Noncitizen voting is a danger to election integrity.”
After the measure passed, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) made the following statement:
“It should never be possible for illegal immigrants to cast a ballot in an election, since voting is a vital privilege for residents of the United States. Millions of illegal immigrants have entered our nation thanks to the Biden Administration, and we need to make sure they are unable to register to vote and influence our elections. That tells you all you need to know about the Biden Administration’s opposition to this sensible initiative and their desire to preserve the legal loopholes that let illegal aliens vote while maintaining an open border with Mexico. I’ll keep working to protect the integrity of elections and keep illegal immigrants from casting ballots.”
Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) stated in a written statement that “allowing non-citizens to vote in our elections is unconscionable and un-American – it incentivizes more immigration, rewards Biden’s open border policies, and, worst of all, it undermines the Constitution and Americans’s ability to choose their representatives.” “The sacrosanct right to vote in US elections belongs to American citizens, and only to the American people.”
According to a YouGov study from 2022, 65% of Americans—48% of Democrats, 62% of swing voters, and 88% of Republicans—support demanding proof of citizenship in order to cast a ballot in an election.
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), the bill’s Senate sponsor, intends to support it when it reaches the Senate.
“The SAVE Act has passed the House of Representatives!” wrote Lee. “We extend our congratulations to @chiproytx for introducing our bill in the House. Senate Democrats must now either join us in passing the SAVE Act or give an explanation for their support of allowing foreigners to cast ballots in US elections.”
