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US House Democrats fight against bill requiring proof of citizenship from voters

Democrats claim the bill puts “an extreme burden [on] countless Americans” to prove their citizenship.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

House Democrats are attempting to block a bill requiring voters to prove their citizenship status before casting ballots.

The Republican bill Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, otherwise known as the SAVE Act, would amend the National Voter Registration Act and make a document proving citizenship mandatory.

Democratic leaders are asking their peers to vote against the bill, which would put “an extreme burden [on] countless Americans” to prove their citizenship.

Those who apply to vote must prove they are citizens using a driver’s license or a passport.

The office of House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass, criticizes the motive behind this legislation and is critical of Republican skepticism regarding elections.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., posted on X that “the SAVE Act will safeguard our elections by ensuring only American citizens vote in federal elections.”

The bill would require the presentation of an ID before registration forms can be processed in local, state, and national elections.

In addition, election workers would work with large databases and could remove some people from the list of permitted voters.

Texas Republican representative Chip Roy introduced the bill, and Mike Lee unveiled the companion bill.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson released a 22-page report encouraging Republicans to vote for the bill. He said there is “irrefutable evidence that noncitizens have been illegally registering to vote and have illegally voted in U.S. elections.”

“While falsely claiming the 2016 election was ‘stolen’ due to ‘foreign election interference,’ Democrats ignore the real threat of foreign election interference posed when noncitizens are allowed to register and vote in U.S. elections,” Johnson wrote in the report.

He added, “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.”