Democrats have scheme to register illegal immigrants to vote

OPINION:

The electorate is narrowly divided, and November’s presidential contest is likely to come down to the wire once again. Those in power are naturally tempted to secure an advantage — by any means necessary.

That became clear Monday when the White House threatened to veto legislation intended to close a loophole allowing illegal aliens to register to vote. The loophole was created by what is known as the motor voter law, which forced states to allow mail-in voter registration in 1993.

All one has to do is check a box that says “Are you a citizen of the United States of America?” on a federal form to be signed up. Though the form asks for more information, it’s optional.

“If you do not have a driver’s license or a state-issued identification or a Social Security number, please write ‘NONE’ on the form,” Colorado’s official instructions state. At the polling place, a utility bill or welfare check counts as acceptable identification.

House Republicans set up a vote Wednesday to close this loophole through the SAVE Act. Introduced by Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, the proposal forces states to verify citizenship before adding someone to the voter rolls. It also enhances penalties against anyone intentionally registering noncitizens.

The White House blasted the effort. “It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in Federal elections — it is a Federal crime punishable by prison and fines. … States already have effective safeguards in place to verify voters’ eligibility and maintain the accuracy of voter rolls,” the formal statement of administration policy explained.

While noncitizen voting is illegal, there’s no way to know when it happens. The Supreme Court blocked states from enforcing their own registration verification process in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. Writing for the majority in 2013, Justice Antonin Scalia said requiring proof of citizenship prior to registration clashed with federal law.

And that’s why Congress must exercise its authority to fix that broken law and restore trust in the system. Liberals will cry foul, but they’re not sincere. They have no problem forcing everyone to flash IDs and passports to handsy Transportation Security Administration agents before boarding an airplane.

“Many of the Democrats want all of these illegals to participate in our federal elections,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, said at a news conference Tuesday. “They want them to vote. There’s no other conclusion you can draw.”

Mr. Johnson estimates the administration has allowed as many as 16 million illegal immigrants to enter the country, which is more than enough to swing a tight election.

Noncitizens aren’t supposed to participate in elections, but it’s also illegal for them to enter the country uninvited. Unlawful immigrants don’t even need to cast votes themselves. The loophole adds names and addresses to the system that ballot harvesters can then use with mail-in voting schemes.

Unverified checkboxes go hand in hand with unverified ballot drop boxes.

House Republicans have the right idea in putting the spotlight on the potential for electoral shenanigans. They’re buoyed by a Pew Research poll earlier this year showing 81% support for voter identification requirements.

Though this legislation won’t become law while President Biden holds the veto pen, this vote could at least expose how he intends to keep it.