Republican-led legislation approved by U.S. House to prohibit immigrant voting

Only 30 cases out of more than 23 million votes cast had improper noncitizen voting, according to a 2017 study by the Brennan Center.

Two of 42 jurisdictions in the study were found to have improper noncitizen voting.

On July 10, the U.S. House voted 221 to 198 to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would prohibit individuals from voting in a federal election if they do not provide proof of citizenship and will require states to purge non-citizens from their official eligible voters lists.

Although voting by noncitizens is already illegal, former President Donald Trump supported such regulation.

According to Bipartisan Policy Center’s Elections Project Senior Associate Director Rachel Orey, the bill is a “messaging bill,” and Democrats are not expected to pass it in the Senate. President Joe Biden is not expected to sign it, either. However, she said that if Republicans take control of both chambers of Congress in November, the regulation would prove the priorities of Congress.

If made American law, the legislation would require all voters to present a valid passport, a U.S. birth certificate or a government-issued ID or naturalization card.

A coalition of 22 Republican state attorneys general are encouraging the U.S. Senate to support the SAVE Act.

“After fleeing political persecution in communist Cuba, my mother began her long journey of becoming a U.S. citizen. I remember attending her naturalization ceremony and witnessing her pride after voting in her first presidential election. I urge the Senate to support the SAVE Act because only citizens, not illegal immigrants, should vote in America’s elections. Those who think otherwise owe an apology to the naturalized Americans who played by the rules,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.

The attorneys general are from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.