House Democrats Branded as 'Traitors' Over Effort to Block Proof of Citizenship Requirement for Voters
House Democrats have been called “traitors” as they prepare to wage war against Republicans over a bill requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in a federal election.
The House Democratic leadership is urging its members to vote against the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act on the House floor, according to Axios.
Billionaire Elon Musk savaged those opposing the bill in a Friday post on his X social media platform.
“Those who oppose this are traitors. All Caps: TRAITORS What is the penalty for traitors again?” he said.
Those who oppose this are traitors.
All Caps: TRAITORS
What is the penalty for traitors again? https://t.co/lyREyskPv4
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2024
The SAVE Act — sponsored by Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy — would require a voter to provide proof of citizenship such as a passport or birth certificate. Elections officials would be required to ask new voters about their citizenship at the time they register. Noncitizens would need to be purged from the rolls.
In a memo last week urging her fellow Democrats to oppose the bill, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts claimed it would create an “extreme burden for countless Americans” and “further intimidate election officials and overburden states’ abilities to enroll new voters.”
The memo said Rep. Joe Morelle of New York — the top Democrat on the Administration Committee — “strongly opposes this bill as written.”
“It’s just another way of stopping people from voting,” Morelle said of the legislation, according to The New York Times. “I mean, they just continue to suppress the ability of people to vote.”
Meanwhile, Republicans issued a 22-page report in support of the legislation.
“Democrats and members of the media will tell you that noncitizens voting is not a serious problem. They’re wrong. This report debunks their claims,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a post on X.
Democrats and members of the media will tell you that noncitizens voting is not a serious problem.
They’re wrong.
This report debunks their claims.https://t.co/tTw7chTbQZ
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) July 2, 2024
“Lax voter registration laws make it possible for noncitizens to register and vote in federal elections while campaign finance loopholes allow noncitizens to fund U.S. election activities – both of which can affect the outcome of our elections,” the report said.
It said there was “ample evidence that noncitizens are voting in U.S. elections.”
“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,” the report said.
Wonder why they’re so against it???
American elections are for American citizens. Period.
We NEED to pass Rep Roy’s SAVE Act. (H. R. 8281) https://t.co/JEztKfewmv
— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) July 7, 2024
A New York Post report on illegal immigrants registering to vote noted that in most states, illegal immigrants getting welfare benefits, driver’s licenses and other government services receive voter registration forms automatically.
While it is illegal for noncitizens to vote in a federal election, there is no requirement when filing a ballot application to prove that a potential voter is a citizen, the Post said.
“As President Biden has welcomed millions of illegal aliens through our borders, including sophisticated criminal syndicates and foreign adversaries, it is incumbent upon Congress to implement greater enforcement measures that secure the voter registration process and ensure only American citizens decide the outcome of American elections,” Johnson said.
In a statement on the introduction of the SAVE Act on May 8, Roy said, “Secure elections are a key cornerstone for any representative government; without them, we won’t have a country. Radical progressive Democrats know this and are using open border policies while also attacking election integrity laws to fundamentally remake America.”
Earlier this year, Ohio’s voter rolls were purged of people who are not U.S. citizens, but Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said he needs federal help to do the job thoroughly, according to a news release from his office.
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