Republicans are pushing legislation to crack down on voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal in federal elections. This move reinforces former President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to delegitimize the 2024 results if he loses. This week, House Republicans plan to vote on a bill that would roll back a District of Columbia law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections. They are also advancing a measure that would require states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when registering a person to vote. These laws have virtually no chance of becoming law but serve to amplify baseless claims of election fraud.
Speaker Mike Johnson recently appeared alongside Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago to announce a pledge to crack down on migrants crossing the border, suggesting without evidence that they are coming in unchecked to vote for President Biden. Despite the lack of evidence, Mr. Johnson claimed that there is an unprecedented threat of noncitizens and illegal aliens voting in U.S. elections. Estimates show that the number of noncitizens suspected of voting in the 2016 election was about 30. Democrats believe that the claims of noncitizen voting are simply a pretext to challenge election results and delegitimize outcomes.
Fears of noncitizen voting have existed since the 1800s but reached a peak during the Trump era. After the 2020 election, Mr. Trump and his allies avoided discussing noncitizen voting as they sought to overturn the results based on other complaints. However, Republicans now claim that the influx of undocumented immigrants makes illegal voting more likely and that even a small number of illegal votes could sway a presidential election.
Republicans are advancing legislation to prevent noncitizens from voting, citing cases where noncitizens were found on voter rolls. Representative Bryan Steil has warned against this practice spreading, emphasizing that American elections are for citizens. Democrats argue that requiring proof of citizenship in person when registering to vote makes it harder for citizens to participate. Nearly 40% of the adult voting population did not vote in the last presidential election, and further barriers would only suppress voting further.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, known for rejecting Mr. Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, has found common ground with Republicans over banning noncitizens from voting. However, cases of noncitizens voting in federal elections are very rare, according to experts. David Becker, director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, suspects that Republicans have ulterior motives for pushing these laws. He believes that the claims of noncitizen voting are aimed at setting a narrative that an election was stolen to delegitimize the outcome.
In conclusion, Republicans are using the issue of noncitizen voting to push legislation that cracks down on voting by noncitizens, despite the rarity of such occurrences. These efforts reinforce baseless claims of election fraud and support former President Trump’s attempts to challenge election results. Democrats argue that these laws are intended to suppress voting and make it more difficult for citizens to participate in the electoral process. Experts suggest that the focus on noncitizen voting is part of a broader strategy to undermine the legitimacy of election outcomes and set the stage for claims of a stolen election.
