First on Fox: Republican lawmakers Members of the House and Senate are renewing their push to suppress noncitizen voting in federal elections, reintroducing a bipartisan bill that was repeatedly promoted last year by the GOP.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, are reintroducing the law American Voter Eligibility Protection (SAVE) Act.which seeks to ensure that noncitizens cannot vote in federal elections.
While only citizens can vote in federal elections, Republicans have claimed it is impossible to enforce this because non-citizens Illegal immigrants Are eligible for driver's licenses and other benefits in states, which may result in them registering to vote.
The Lakin-Riley Act passes the House with 48 Democrats, all Republicans
People arrive to cast their ballots during early voting. (Christopher Mark John/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The bill would require states to obtain documentary proof of U.S. citizenship and personal identity when registering an individual to vote. It also requires states to establish a program to remove noncitizens from voter rolls, and allows citizens to file suits against officials who fail to respect the law.
The bill was approved in Home last yearwith five Democrats voting in favor, but it faltered in the Senate – where The chamber is controlled by Democrats The spending bill passed without including the savings bill, as Republicans had hoped. President Biden had promised to veto the bill.
The bill has gained increasing importance among Republicans amid increasing numbers of immigrants to the United States during the Biden administration, in addition to recent announcements by states that they have identified thousands of non-citizens on their lists.
But now Republicans control the Senate and soon the White House, as President-elect Trump has expressed his support for legislation preventing non-citizens from voting.
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“Republicans must pass the Conservation Act, or go home and cry themselves to sleep,” he said in July.
“American elections belong to American citizens, and public confidence in those elections is the cornerstone of our republic,” said Roy, who is introducing the bill in the House of Representatives with Representative Andrew Garbarino, Republican of New York.
“We in Congress have a duty to our citizens to provide that trust. We must have concrete enforcement mechanisms to ensure that our elections and our sovereignty cannot be hijacked and influenced by foreign nationals who do not have the right to vote in this country.” He said.
Rep. Chip Roy nominates Rep. Jim Jordan to serve as Speaker ahead of the third round of voting in the House on January 3, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“The House passed this critical, bipartisan bill last year — we must do it again. I look forward to working with the Republican Senate to put this policy on President Trump's desk,” he said.
Public confidence in the integrity of elections is “absolutely essential to the legitimacy of our democratic institutions,” Lee said.
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“The vast majority of our citizens agree that only American citizens should be able to register and vote in American elections. The SAVE Act gives states the ability to prevent illegal voter registration and protect ballot boxes from foreign interference in elections,” he said.
Meanwhile, Garbarino criticized New York City for ignoring the principle that American citizens decide their elections by allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections.
“The SAVE Act upholds the integrity of our elections by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, ensuring this fundamental right is reserved exclusively for American citizens,” he said.
The bill also has the support of groups including the Single Citizens Vote Coalition, the Tea Party National Action Party, and the Immigration Accountability Project. It has 59 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. The bill was submitted to the House of Representatives on Friday, and is expected to be presented to the Senate next week.
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The bill comes at a time when Congress is expected to make immigration-related issues a top priority. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved Lakin-Riley lawwhich requires federal immigration authorities to detain illegal immigrants convicted of theft-related crimes. It would also allow states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for damages to their citizens caused by illegal immigration.
Fox News' Julia Johnson and Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
