Noncitizen voting bill advances as Republicans continue messaging push
Source: Roll Call
Posted May 23, 2024 at 4:00pm
The House Administration Committee advanced a pair of messaging bills Thursday along party lines that Republicans said would curb foreign interference in U.S. elections and would prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections — something federal law already forbids.
Chairman Bryan Steil argued that the legislation was necessary to restore Americans’ shaken faith in the validity of federal vote counts. “When Americans are more confident that our elections are secure, they’re more likely to participate,” the Wisconsin Republican said. “As chairman of this committee, my focus is on increasing confidence and participation in our elections.”
Ranking member Joseph D. Morelle said Americans were confident in the security of the nation’s elections until Republicans, led by former President Donald Trump, started making false claims about the 2020 election. “Every one of my majority colleagues understands that this narrative will aggravate the perilous infection of election denialism that is spreading in the American civic body,” the New York Democrat said.
Morelle said he agreed with Steil’s avowed goal of “increasing confidence and participation in our elections” but said the bills advanced Thursday didn’t accomplish either. Introduced by GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, one of the bills would require voters to prove citizenship to register, with the aim of keeping noncitizens from voting in federal elections. While that is already illegal, some jurisdictions, including Washington, D.C., allow noncitizens to vote in local elections.
Read more: https://rollcall.com/2024/05/23/noncitizen-voting-bill-advances-as-republicans-continue-messaging-push/
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