A group of GOP Congressmembers and Senators proposed legislation to make sure American citizens vote in elections while stopping illegal immigrants from casting ballots.
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), along with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act that would require proof of American citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Right now only American citizens have the right to vote, but in most states, all you have to do is check a box that says you attest that you are a citizen when you register with no proof required.
The system relies on the old fashioned “honor system” and for every Board of Elections in every state to get it right and perform all the cross-checking necessary to ensure the voter rolls are clean and only have eligible American citizens on the rolls.
Rep. Lee outlined important context as to why the SAVE Act is vital in protecting the integrity of American elections. Implementing rigorous checks for voter registration will defend against non-citizen voting and seek to restore confidence in the integrity of our federal elections.
“Illegal immigrants and non-citizens across the nation are being improperly registered to vote, allowing them to cast illegitimate ballots in federal elections,” said Sen. Lee.
“At a time when trust in voting is more important than ever, we must stop foreign election interference and pass the SAVE Act. Voting is both a sacred right and responsibility of American citizenship, and allowing the people of other nations access to our elections is a grave blow to our security and self-governance. I’m proud to stand with Chip Roy to save our democratic process and representative government.”
Lee also said, “Every state (except South Carolina) issues driver’s licenses to noncitizens, and nineteen states issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Just a visit to the DMV can easily result in an individual being registered to vote—regardless of citizenship.”
“With an additional ten million people in the country, we need to take precautions against allowing ineligible voters to participate in our federal elections. Only citizens of the United States may vote in federal elections. Protecting the vote of each American from nullification by illegal voters is essential to that guarantee’ Lee further said.
"Secure elections are a key cornerstone for any representative government; without them, we won't have a country,” said Rep. Roy.
“Radical progressive Democrats know this and are using open border policies while also attacking election integrity laws to fundamentally remake America. That's why I am proud to introduce the SAVE Act with Speaker Johnson and my Republican colleagues, along with the invaluable support of citizens and organizations that recognize we must end the practice of non-citizens voting in our elections.”
"Under Joe Biden's watch, over eleven million illegal aliens are now here on U.S. soil. That's enough to replace the entire population of Kansas almost FOUR TIMES over," Sen. Marshall said.
"Democrats' motivations behind welcoming this influx of migrants has been clear: they believe these are future Democrat voters. While requiring U.S. citizenship for federal elections has long been a requirement, our legislation finally puts pen to paper on the exact documents a person will need to prove they are, in fact, an American citizen and eligible voter. Proof of citizenship as a requirement to vote in our elections should not be controversial- it is our responsibility to protect the integrity of our electoral process.”
The SAVE Act also set requirements for states to verify U.S. citizenship. It outlines acceptable documentation for proving citizenship and requires states to set up alternative verification processes for citizens without standard documents. The legislation also compels states to purge non-citizens from voter rolls and establishes federal penalties for intentionally registering non-citizens.
A host of others joined Lee and Roy in support of the SAVE Act: Cleta Mitchell (FAIR Elections Fund), Jenny Beth Martin (Tea Party Patriots Action), Stephen Miller (America First Legal), Ken Cuccinelli (Election Transparency Initiative), Rosemary Jenks (Immigration Accountability Project), and Andy Roth (State Freedom Caucus Network).