The measure is unlikely to pass through the Senate, and the White House has expressed opposition to the bill.
WASHINGTON—The House on July 10 passed legislation that would require voters to provide proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
The bill was approved in a mostly party-line vote of 221–198.
Five Democrats—Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Donald Davis (D-N.C.), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Vincente Gonzalez Jr. (D-Texas), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.)—joined all Republicans in voting for the legislation. Other Democrats opposed the bill, arguing that it’s redundant with existing prohibitions on noncitizen voting.
The measure is likely dead on arrival in the Democrat-controlled Senate. The White House has expressed opposition to the bill.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) in May with the support of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and more than 100 other Republicans, would require people to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in voter registration applications for federal elections. States would be barred from processing applications without it.
Under the bill, acceptable forms of proof of citizenship include a passport, birth certificate, a government-issued photo ID showing the person was born in the United States, and a military ID showing the same.
It would also require states to purge their voter rolls of any current noncitizens, in part by giving states no-cost access to databases run by the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration.
In a whip notice, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) advised Democrats against voting for the legislation, saying that it “irresponsibly [calls] into question the credibility of our elections.”
Democrats say that under the terms of the bill, it would become more difficult for natural-born and naturalized citizens to register to vote.
“It is already illegal under current law for noncitizens to register to vote or to vote in federal elections,” Ms. Clark’s office stated.
Republicans acknowledge that federal law technically prohibits voting by illegal immigrants, but they say there are loopholes that make it possible for an illegal immigrant to vote.
By Joseph Lord
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