Joe Biden Vows to Block Bill Requiring Proof of U.S. Citizenship to Vote, Calls Noncitizens Voting ‘Extraordinarily Rare’
President Joe Biden is seemingly vowing to block legislation, known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, that would require proof of American citizenship before an applicant is registered to vote in federal elections.
The SAVE Act, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and co-sponsored by more than 100 House Republicans, would require state election officials to mandate voter registration applicants provide proof of American citizenship before they are added to the nation’s voter rolls.
“Federal law has been interpreted to prohibit states from checking to see if you’re a citizen even though, technically, the law says you must be a citizen,” Roy told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview.
This week, the Biden administration released a statement on the SAVE Act, effectively vowing to block it from becoming law should it make its way to the president’s desk.
“The administration strongly opposes H.R. 8281, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act,” the statement from the White House reads:
It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in Federal elections — it is a Federal crime punishable by prison and fines. The alleged justification for this bill is based on easily disproven falsehoods. Additionally, making a false claim of citizenship or unlawfully voting in an election is punishable by removal from the United States and a permanent bar to admission. States already have effective safeguards in place to verify voters’ eligibility and maintain the accuracy of voter rolls. [Emphasis added]
This bill would do nothing to safeguard our elections, but it would make it much harder for all eligible Americans to register to vote and increase the risk that eligible voters are purged from voter rolls. The evidence is clear that the current laws to prevent noncitizen voting are working as intended — it is extraordinarily rare for noncitizens to break the law by voting in Federal elections. [Emphasis added]
Instead, the Biden administration says Congress ought to pass the Freedom to Vote Act which would restore voting rights to millions of felons who are no longer serving their prison sentences. The bill would also usher in nationwide mail-in voting as well as nationwide automatic voter registration.
As Breitbart News reported, House Democrats are whipping votes against the SAVE Act — putting vulnerable swing district electeds in a tough spot just months ahead of the November election.
Requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to vote is hugely popular with Americans.
A poll from 2022 found that 65 percent of Americans support requiring proof of citizenship to vote, including 48 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of swing voters, and 88 percent of Republicans.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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