Washington, DC—July 10, 2024…The U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 8281, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act today. Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) supported the measure, which amends the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 to require individuals to provide proof of United States citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Congressman Womack said, “The cornerstone of democracy is the ability to freely and fairly choose leaders. A government ‘by the people’ isn’t achieved if noncitizens vote and interfere with elections. With a mass influx of illegal aliens crossing over the southern border since President Biden took office, now more than ever, we must close NVRA’s loophole to secure the integrity of our elections. Voting in U.S. elections is a foundational privilege of being an American citizen and must be protected.”
Background:
Since President Biden took office, nearly 5 million illegal aliens have been released into the United States, with about 2 million known “gotaways.”
Noncitizens (including illegal aliens) are eligible for driver’s licenses and other benefits, providing ample opportunities to illegally register to vote in federal elections under the NVRA.
While only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections, this is impossible to enforce because the NVRA effectively prohibits states from verifying citizenship when registering voters.
A 2014 study that analyzed the 2008 and 2010 elections concluded that not only had noncitizens illegally voted in U.S. elections but also that the votes of noncitizens likely determined the outcome in certain races.
In states like Massachusetts, Ohio, and Virginia, noncitizens have recently been removed from the voting rolls, and many of those noncitizens had previously voted.
States like Pennsylvania and Texas admitted that thousands of noncitizens have registered to vote.
More recently, Ohio announced it was removing upwards of 100 noncitizens from their rolls and a Georgia audit found more than 1,600 noncitizens had attempted to register to vote.
Bill Breakdown:
Requires an individual to provide proof of citizenship in person when registering to vote in federal elections.
Provides states with access to existing federal databases so they can clean up their voter registration rolls and remove noncitizens from the rolls.
Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas’ Third Congressional District since 2011. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
