OPINION:
Late Wednesday night, the House passed the SAVE Act — a bill to require proof of citizenship to vote. What should have been a unanimous decision turned into a stark partisan divide, with nearly all Democrats in the chamber opposing the bill.
For many Americans, this legislation is common sense; for Democrats, it’s a devastating blow to their long-running, unpopular efforts to undermine the integrity of our election system.
A vast majority of Americans agree that the SAVE Act is necessary. Thanks to left-wing lawfare, we currently rely on an ineffective honor system, as courts have made it illegal for states to verify citizenship before registering voters.
Despite noncitizen voting being illegal, many noncitizens can and do register and vote in federal elections. They are often caught up in automatic voter registration schemes — yet another reason not to do automatic registration. Other times, noncitizens deliberately commit fraud. In 2018, for example, the Department of Justice charged 19 noncitizens who had registered and voted as recently as 2016.
Democrats have long turned a blind eye to this voter fraud, disingenuously arguing that making noncitizen voting illegal sufficiently deters the crime. The Democrats have no intention of enforcing these laws or countering voter fraud, even including provisions in their signature 2021 House election legislation to waive penalties for noncitizens who vote illegally.
In truth, far-left politicians and special interests want to encourage noncitizen voting to change election outcomes. They are hellbent on a campaign to undermine laws to stop illegal voting across the country.
Take, for instance, the New York City Council, which passed a law granting voting privileges to noncitizens with green cards or work authorizations in 2022. The law was rightfully struck down as unconstitutional last month. If upheld, it would have allowed around 800,000 noncitizens to vote in city elections. In similar fashion, the District of Columbia Council enacted an amendment allowing noncitizens, including illegal immigrants, to vote in local elections in 2022. This measure means even agents from Russian and Chinese embassies in Washington can cast ballots in our capital city’s elections.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a top House Democrat, has long advocated noncitizen voting. He argued in a 1993 paper that excluding noncitizens from the ballot isn’t “constitutionally required or historically normal.” He still stands by this belief today. The city of Takoma Park, which Mr. Raskin represents, shared a news release in October celebrating “30 years of noncitizen voting” in local elections.
The Democratic Party’s goal is clear: Normalize noncitizen voting at the local level before expanding it to state and federal races.
Noncitizen voting is overwhelmingly unpopular among Americans. Recent polls sponsored by Honest Elections Project Action show that just 9% of Americans think noncitizens should vote in U.S. elections. In states such as Ohio and Louisiana, voters have overwhelmingly passed constitutional amendments banning non-U.S. citizens from voting. Similarly, lawmakers in North Carolina have added a citizen-only voting amendment to the state’s November ballot, and other states, including Idaho and Kentucky, will see the same.
The disconnect between Democrats and American voters could not be starker.
House Democrats’ votes against the SAVE Act just reaffirms their dedication to reshaping the electorate to favor their agenda, disregarding the Constitution and the will of the people. An attack on our elections is an attack on our republic. State leaders, Republicans in Congress and the American people must continue to stand firm in defending election integrity.
• Jason Snead is executive director of the Honest Elections Project.
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