House Republicans passed the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act which would amend current federal voter laws to prevent noncitizens from casting ballots in federal elections. The vote for passage was largely along party lines.
The SAVE Act, sponsored by Representative Chip Roy (R-TX), was introduced in response to mounting concerns regarding noncitizen voters in states across the country. At the state level, Democrat lawmakers have expanded access to driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants and other noncitizens. Subsequently, these same Democrat lawmakers have also backed laws at the state and federal level that require government forms—including driver’s license applications—to offer applicants the option to register to vote.
“Radical progressive Democrats are engaged in a wholesale attack on citizenship and what it means to be an American,” Rep. Roy said in a statement to The National Pulse following the SAVE Act‘s passage. He added: “We will only be able to keep this republic as a republic as long as our citizenship as Americans remains meaningful. That’s why I introduced the SAVE Act in the first place, and it’s why the People’s House passed it today.”
Without stringent proof-of-citizenship requirements—opposed mainly by state and national Democrats—noncitizens face few roadblocks to being added to state voter rolls. The National Pulse has documented instances of noncitizen voters and state legal changes that make noncitizens casting illegal ballots more likely.
The SAVE Act, which now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration, would require proof of citizenship for individuals who register to vote at departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) and other state agencies. It also mandates the removal of foreign nationals from state voting registers.
