Sen. Vance Backs SAVE Act Amid Concerns Over ‘Noncitizen Voting’ Claims
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At Tuesday’s presidential debate, former President Donald Trump repeated his assertion that “elections are bad” and claimed Democrats are trying to get immigrants who’ve entered the country illegally to vote. Despite fact checks showing no evidence of widespread noncitizen voting, Republicans, including Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), continue to push this narrative, claiming it is a pressing issue that requires legislative action.
Trump and other Republicans are using this argument to support the SAVE Act, legislation that would require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering. The House passed the act in July, but it has stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Trump now wants Republicans to shut down the government until they secure its passage.
House Republicans have attached the act to a bill that would keep the government funded until March. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson delayed a scheduled vote, citing the need to build consensus. Democrats, led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have labeled the proof-of-citizenship legislation as a “poison pill,” signaling its unlikelihood of passing in the Senate.
Critics argue that requiring proof of citizenship would disenfranchise eligible voters, especially those who may struggle to access such documentation. Research by the Brennan Center for Justice found that more than 20 million Americans don’t have proof of citizenship readily available, with the percentage higher among people of color.
Republicans, however, maintain that the SAVE Act is necessary to prevent noncitizen voting. Election watchdogs have warned that these claims are intended to sow doubt about future election results if Trump or other Republicans lose. Trump has used similar rhetoric in the past, falsely claiming noncitizen voting contributed to his popular vote loss in 2016.
“This is not intended to actually clean up the rolls,” said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research. “This is intended to set the stage for claims the election was stolen.” Election officials, both Republican and Democratic, have repeatedly emphasized that noncitizen voting is rare.
In Georgia, a 2022 review found that only 1,634 potential noncitizens attempted to register to vote between 1997 and 2022, none of whom were permitted to cast a ballot. Despite this, Republican lawmakers, like Sen. Vance, continue to argue for stricter voter registration requirements, which they say are needed to protect the integrity of U.S. elections. Critics worry that such measures risk disenfranchising eligible voters without addressing a significant problem.
