President Joe Biden appears to be promising to prevent the passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which mandates proof of American citizenship before individuals can register to vote in federal elections. The SAVE Act, sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and supported by over 100 House Republicans, would necessitate state election officials to ensure that voter registration applicants show evidence of American citizenship prior to being included in the country’s voter lists.
“Federal law has been interpreted to prohibit states from checking to see if you’re a citizen even though, technically, the law says you must be a citizen,” Roy told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview.
The Biden administration announced this week its intention to prevent the SAVE Act from being enacted into law if it reaches the president’s desk.
“The administration strongly opposes H.R. 8281, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act,” the statement from the White House reads:
“It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in Federal elections — it is a Federal crime punishable by prison and fines. The alleged justification for this bill is based on easily disproven falsehoods. Additionally, making a false claim of citizenship or unlawfully voting in an election is punishable by removal from the United States and a permanent bar to admission. States already have effective safeguards in place to verify voters’ eligibility and maintain the accuracy of voter rolls. This bill would do nothing to safeguard our elections, but it would make it much harder for all eligible Americans to register to vote and increase the risk that eligible voters are purged from voter rolls. The evidence is clear that the current laws to prevent noncitizen voting are working as intended — it is extraordinarily rare for noncitizens to break the law by voting in Federal elections.”
The Biden administration has proposed the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act by Congress, which aims to reinstate voting rights for numerous felons who have completed their prison terms. Additionally, the bill seeks to implement nationwide mail-in voting and automatic voter registration. According to Breitbart News, House Democrats are actively working to gather votes against the SAVE Act, placing elected officials in vulnerable swing districts in a challenging position just months before the November election.
The requirement for proof of U.S. citizenship in order to vote is widely supported by the American population. A survey conducted in 2022 revealed that 65 percent of Americans, including 48 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of swing voters, and 88 percent of Republicans, are in favor of this measure.
