House Passes Bill Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Vote

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Facts

• The Republican-led US House, along with five Democrats, voted to pass a bill requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote. This was against the wishes of the Biden administration, which has argued that laws already prohibit noncitizens from voting.¹
• Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine, Don Davis of North Carolina, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington voted for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.²
• While it's already a felony for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, the SAVE Act would also require states to rid their voter registration rolls of anyone who isn't a US citizen.³
• The SAVE Act, which is unlikely to pass the Democrat-led Senate, would also require most people to present a specific document, such as a passport, to register to vote. Government data shows 48% of Americans have a passport.⁴
• Currently, states that require IDs to register to vote seek a driver's license, student ID card, or tribal ID card, which do not prove citizenship. Other states require no ID at all.⁴
• Audits in several states, including North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, California, and Texas, showed fewer than 50 noncitizens in each state voted in federal elections from 2016-2022 — out of 23M voters per state.⁴

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²FOX News, ³Reuters and ⁴Missouri Independent.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Federalist. Even if the number of illegal votes is currently negligible, this law will further secure US elections. The only reason Democrats are voting against it is that they're counting on noncitizens casting ballots in their favor. Already, Democrats have been allowing these populations to vote in state elections, and it's only a matter of time before they open the door to federal elections.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by America's Voice. The SAVE Act is nothing but blatant voter suppression, as it has the potential to discourage minority voters from registering. In an effort to rile up their base, Republicans are using this bill to stoke racism and xenophobia, while at the same time scaring potential Democratic voters from exercising their constitutional rights.

Predictions