Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06) on Friday introduced legislation that would allow states to require proof of citizenship in order to vote. H.R. 8223, the Citizen Ballot Protection Act, would allow states to require proof of citizenship for voters by amending the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).
“Restoring faith in the ability to conduct free and fair elections in this country begins with cleaning up voter rolls and requiring proof of citizenship to prevent illegally cast ballots from swaying elections,” said Palmer. “Americans deserve to know their elections are secure. It is common sense that states should be able to require proof of citizenship to ensure only citizens are voting in their elections. Unfortunately, a 2013 Supreme Court ruling prevents states from requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. This bill will fix the problem by amending the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to give states the ability to verify the citizenship status of their voters when they register.”
Palmer’s office explained that there is a growing push to let noncitizens vote, especially in some Democrat-controlled states where noncitizens are allowed to register. New York City recently approved legislation that will allow as many as 800,000 non-citizens to vote in local elections.
To strengthen voter roll integrity, many states are adding proof of citizenship requirements before someone can register to vote. However, this protection does not extend to voters that register through the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) federal mail voter registration application form. This federal form is used to register to vote in federal elections and the information collected by the form is listed in the NVRA.
Because proof of citizenship is not listed as an option to add to the form, in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, the Supreme Court held a state requirement to show proof of citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections violates the NVRA.
Without the proof of citizenship requirement, individuals must only attest under penalty of perjury that he or she is a citizen. The Citizen Ballot Protection Act would amend the National Voter Registration Act to make clear that a state may impose a proof of citizenship requirement in order to register to vote in a federal election.
Palmer’s office said that the bill respects and upholds the role of states in administering federal elections, gives states the option to add more security to their voter registration process, and helps states that have proof of citizenship requirements to streamline their registration process so both their version of the federal mail voter registration form and the state’s regular voter registration form can have the same review process.
Just Facts, a conservative think tank, released a study suggesting that as many as 16% of non-citizens in this country voted in the 2020 election and 82% of them voted for Democratic candidates, swaying the results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and other states in favor of Joe Biden over then-incumbent Donald J. Trump (R).
These findings have been disputed by Democrats and the mainstream media.
Palmer is in his fourth term representing Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandon.moseley@1819News.com.
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