The House Administration Committee held a hearing on Thursday to deliberate on strategies aimed at preventing non-citizens from participating in the electoral process.
Spearheaded by Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI), the hearing — titled “American Confidence in Elections: Preventing Noncitizen Voting and Other Foreign Interference” — centered on proposed legislation to safeguard the integrity of federal elections by restricting voting rights exclusively to U.S. citizens.
.@HouseGOP is working to stop non-citizen voting. #ElectionIntegrity pic.twitter.com/xHTjGw5U3d
— House Admin. Committee GOP (@HouseAdmin) May 16, 2024
Steil, emphasizing the necessity of bolstering public trust in elections, underscored concerns regarding the allowance of non-citizens to vote in local elections by the D.C. Board of Elections. Democrats rebuffed accusations of election result manipulation, while Steil articulated the imperative of ensuring that electoral processes are reserved solely for American citizens.
During his opening remarks, Steil articulated, “American elections are for American citizens. And we intend to keep it that way.” He highlighted instances of alleged misinterpretations of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) in jurisdictions like Pennsylvania and Ohio, where non-citizens were reportedly registered to vote, raising significant apprehensions about electoral integrity.
🚨The integrity of our elections is at stake. We must end non-citizen voting.
Watch Chairman @RepBryanSteil👇 pic.twitter.com/JsFSMLSH3c
— House Admin. Committee GOP (@HouseAdmin) May 16, 2024
The proposed legislation, the American Confidence in Elections Act, includes provisions enabling states to access federal databases containing citizenship information, facilitating the removal of non-citizens from voter rolls. Against the backdrop of increasing concerns over foreign interference in elections, Steil reiterated the imperative of fortifying electoral security, particularly in light of the influx of illegal immigrants crossing the Southern Border.
Steil’s concerns extended to Washington, D.C., where recent initiatives have purportedly encouraged non-citizens to participate in local elections. Postcards disseminated by the D.C. Board of Elections allegedly targeted non-citizens, raising apprehensions about their potential influence on federal elections.
“To vote in local elections in our nation’s capital, you must reside in DC for only 30 days. That means any noncitizen who moves to DC by October 5th can vote in this year’s election,” the Republican lawmaker warned. “If any of the 7 million migrants move to DC by this October, they can vote in the upcoming election. They don’t even need to show their ID! This does not instill confidence in our elections. The Committee on House Administration has broad oversight of our nation’s federal elections—including here in our nation’s capital. We have passed a bill to require citizenship to vote in DC elections. Republicans on this committee are committed to ending noncitizen voting.”
Despite Steil’s proactive stance on safeguarding electoral integrity, challenges persist in ensuring compliance with federal statutes delineating voter eligibility. Efforts to obtain clarity from the D.C. Board of Elections regarding measures to prevent non-citizens from participating in federal elections have reportedly encountered resistance, underscoring the urgency of legislative intervention to address prevailing loopholes.