FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27, 2024
Documentary proof of U.S. citizenship should be required to vote in federal elections
Arlington, VA – House GOP leaders today announced plans to take up a bill ensuring that only American citizens are able to vote in federal elections. A 22-page white paper outlining “irrefutable evidence” that non-citizens have voted illegally was also released by Speaker Mike Johnson.
If enacted, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would amend the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to require that states obtain documentary proof of U.S. citizenship from individuals and to verify their identities in person when registering electors to vote in federal elections at a DMV, a voter registration agency (such as a welfare office), or by mail.
While only U.S. citizens can legally vote in federal elections, federal law has generally preempted and undermined state laws requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in such elections. In fact, the federal voter registration form only requires individuals to check a box attesting American citizenship—no proof required.
The SAVE Act is being led by Rep. Chip Roy (TX) in the House and Sen. Mike Lee (UT) in the Senate.
The Associated Press and PolitiFact, a Democrat publicist masquerading as non-partisan ‘fact-checker,’ both recently admitted that proof of citizenship is not required to register to vote in federal elections and that some non-citizens do vote.
National Chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued the following statement:
“We thank Speaker Johnson, Rep. Roy, Sen. Lee and our coalition partners for protecting the integrity of our elections and the solemn right of American citizens to vote. Yes, foreign citizens are registering to vote in U.S. elections, and no, the current ‘honor system’ whereby non-citizens need only check a box promising they are citizens doesn’t cut it.
“Proof of citizenship to vote is obviously common sense, but if you want non-citizens and illegal aliens to land on the voter rolls you obviously oppose it.”
Beginning in 2019, Washington, D.C. Democrats attempted to pass legislation which would have resulted in the automatic dumping of millions of legal and illegal aliens on to the voter rolls. Under H.R. 1, states would have been required to register illegal aliens to vote, state officials would be threatened with criminal liability if they attempt to interfere, and penalties for such illegal voting would be removed—cancelling out millions of American votes.
Section 1012: Mandates states to perform automatic voter registration of every adult on numerous state databases, without regard to citizenship.
Section 1015: Decriminalizes foreigners voting in American elections if they were registered via H.R.1’s mandatory voter registration provisions (i.e., via Sec. 1012).
And to intimidate state and local officials from cleaning foreign citizens off the voter rolls…
Section 1201: Introduces a new, vaguely worded criminal offense if a prosecutor decides a state official’s efforts to keep their voter rolls clean may have ‘interfered’ with registering such person, again regardless of whether or not the registrant was a U.S. Citizen.
The Election Transparency Initiative, a partnership between the American Principles Project (APP) and Susan B. Anthony (SBA) Pro-Life America, was organized to combat federal H.R. 1 and H.R. 4 legislation and advocate for state-based election reforms that voters can trust.
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