Ken Cuccinelli, National Chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative, J. Hogan Gidley, Vice Chair of the America First Policy Institute’s Center for Election Integrity, and Christian Adams, president and general counsel of the Public Interest Law Foundation, joined me.
This new rule permits non-citizens living in the nation’s capital, whether they are doing so lawfully or illegally, to cast a ballot in municipal elections. Just that they establish residency at least 30 days prior to the election is the only condition. To make matters worse, the law also permits foreign people employed by the Chinese, Russian, and other foreign embassies to cast ballots in municipal elections.
In February, a resolution (H.J. Res. 24) to stop D.C.’s non-citizen voting ordinance was passed by the U.S. Congress with overwhelming support from both parties, with 42 Democrats voting with every Republican. H.J. Res. 24 has not been put to a vote in the Senate, though, due to opposition from Senate Democrats.
In January, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz introduced a bill that would forbid the city of Washington, D.C. from utilizing federal funds to enable non-citizen voting in our nation’s capital elections. Cruz provided the following statement despite being unable to attend the press conference:
“Letting non-citizens vote is a flagrant attack on the rule of law and a direct assault on what it means to be an American citizen. That not only goes against the values on which our country was formed, but it also opens the door for outside interference in our elections. Citizens of the United States have the right and duty to vote, and I will never stop working to protect those rights.”
Even the editorial board of the Washington Post wrote an editorial with the subject, “D.C. is Exploring Legislation to Allow Non-Citizens to Vote. That’s a Terrible Idea,” wrote:
“The right to vote is a foundational aspect of citizenship. We are opposed to a bill that would permit an estimated 50,000 non-citizen residents to vote in local elections and is expected to pass the D.C. Council this week.”
