Republicans Introduce Plan to Verify U.S. Citizenship for Mail-In Voters

Republicans on the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, led by Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), have introduced legislation that would give states the power to verify the American citizenship of applicants registering to vote via mail.

This week, Britt and fellow Republicans introduced the “Citizen Ballot Protection Act” which would give states the ability to more accurately verify that only American citizens are being approved for voter registrations.

Britt said the legislation is necessary as several blue states, counties, and cities pass ordinances opening voting rights to foreign nationals — at least for municipal elections.

“Voting in our country is a sacred right that must solely be limited to American citizens. To allow States to uphold this principle should be simple commonsense,” Britt said:

We are seeing certain cities across our nation begin to openly allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. This effectively disenfranchises hardworking American citizens, insults those American citizens who came to our country legally and took the time and effort to go through the citizenship process, and undermines faith in our entire electoral system — which is a cornerstone of our nation that we cannot allow to crumble. [Emphasis added]

It should not be controversial that states have the legal right to prevent noncitizens — including illegal migrants and official representatives of foreign adversaries — from voting in state and federal elections. I’m proud to work with Representative Palmer and my Senate colleagues to ensure that we pass this legislation and stand up for the right of Americans – and only Americans – to vote in American elections. [Emphasis added]

The legislation would amend the National Voting Rights Act to allow states to require proof of citizenship for those applicants registering to vote in state and federal elections by mail.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as well as Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV.), Roger Wicker (R-MS.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) are co-sponsoring the bill.

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