The House on Wednesday passed legislation to make people provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote, a measure aimed at preventing illegal immigrants from voting.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility or the SAVE Act would amend the National Voter Registration Act to require people to register in person with documents that prove they are citizens such as a Real ID, passport or other identification that shows place of birth. The NVRA currently does not require proof of citizenship but asks registrants to attest that they are citizens or face penalties.
Rep. Chip Roy, the sponsor of the measure, said his bill was meant to ensure only American citizens vote in U.S. elections. He also accused President Biden and Democrats of pushing for noncitizens to participate in federal elections.
“The fact of the matter is this administration and our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have been damaging, breaking American sovereignty for the entirety of this administration,” the Texas Republican said.
The measure would also require that election officials share information with the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration to determine whether voters are eligible. If the agencies determine someone is ineligible to vote, election officials would have to remove the noncitizens from voter rolls.
The bill blends two issues at the forefront for the GOP: illegal immigration and election integrity.
It passed in a 221-198 vote that broke mostly along party lines. Five Democrats voted with Republicans in favor of the legislation.
President Biden strongly opposes the legislation, and it is likely to die in the Senate.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, heavily stumped for the measure, even teasing the bill during a meeting with former President Donald Trump at his Mar-A-Lago estate in April.
Mr. Johnson said on the House floor Wednesday that millions of illegal immigrants have flooded into the U.S. since Mr. Biden took office, and warned that if they participated in elections, they could drastically alter the results at every level.
His office released a report last month that provided “irrefutable evidence” of noncitizens illegally registering to vote and voting in federal elections. This year, election officials removed 70 noncitizens from voter rolls in Massachusetts and 137 from voter rolls in Ohio, according to the report.
Earlier this year, Virginia election officials removed nearly 1,500 people from voter rolls “with a reported reason for removal due to ‘noncitizen status.’”
Though there is no evidence of illegal immigrants registering to vote on a large scale, Republicans said the stricter rules would be a preventative measure.
“We are merely suggesting that because so many illegal aliens are in the country … it worth adding a layer of protection to ensure those illegals cannot register to vote,” Mr. Johnson said.
It is illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, with penalties including deportation and imprisonment. It is also illegal for people to register to vote if they are not eligible. Some places such as in the District of Columbia, allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, but it is not a widespread practice.
The GOP’s messaging on the bill echoes Mr. Trump’s unfounded claims that large numbers of illegal immigrants voted in the 2020 election. On Tuesday, the former president said Republicans should pass the bill or “go home and cry yourself to sleep.”
Hundreds of civil rights organizations opposed the measure, arguing, among other things, that the legislation was “wholly based on falsehoods” and would make it harder for minority communities and naturalized citizens to vote.
“These are already communities who are unfairly targeted by anti-immigrant policies at the federal, state, and local level,” the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights wrote in a letter to lawmakers. “Congress should be doing everything possible to encourage and promote the political participation of these citizens, rather than seeking to diminish it through threats and fear tactics.”
Democrats said the bill would do little or nothing at all to safeguard elections and would instead make it harder for citizens to register, more difficult for soldiers serving overseas to register, and increase the likelihood that eligible voters are removed from voter rolls.
“This extreme MAGA Republican voter suppression bill is not designed to solve any problem on behalf of the American people. It is designed to jam people up and prevent Americans from voting,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.