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up front Monday 2 SepteMber 2024
NONCITIZENS...

to report suspected viola-
Continued from Front tions of election laws.
In Wisconsin, Republicans
Some Democrats contend have filed a pair of similar
the measures could create lawsuits in recent weeks that
hurdles for legal voters, are challenge the state's proc-
unnecessary and lead peo- ess for verifying whether a
ple to believe the problem of registered voter is a citizen.
noncitizens voting is bigger The lawsuits seek court orders
than it really is. requiring the elections com-
What does the law say? mission to perform checks
A 1996 U.S. law makes it il- to ensure there are no reg-
legal for noncitizens to vote istered voters who are non-
in elections for president or citizens.
members of Congress. Viola- North Carolina Republicans
tors can be fined and impris- have sued the state election
oned for up to a year. They board, alleging it is not en-
can also be deported. forcing a new law aimed at
When people register to removing people from voter
vote, they confirm under rolls who seek jury duty exclu-
penalty of perjury that they sions because they are not
are U.S. citizens. Federal law citizens.
requires states to regularly Tennessee's top election of-
maintain their voter rolls and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks as Republican presidential candidate former fice sent letters in June ask-
remove anyone who is ineli- President Donald Trump listens during a news conference, April 12, 2024, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm ing for proof of citizenship
gible, a process that could Beach, Fla. Associated Press from more than 14,000 reg-
identify immigrants living in istered voters, though those
the country illegally. who failed to respond will
No state constitutions explic- Alabama Secretary of State of citizenship for people to new wording saying "only" not be barred from voting.
itly allow noncitizens to vote, Wes Allen, a Republican, vote in federal elections. citizens can vote. Supporters The list was based on data
and many states have laws recently announced that The state responded by cre- contend the current word- from the state Department
that prohibit noncitizens from 3,251 people previously ating two classes of voters. ing does not necessarily bar of Safety and Homeland
voting for state offices such identified as noncitizens by For state and local elections, noncitizens from voting. Security, which has informa-
as governor or attorney gen- the federal government are voters must provide proof of In Idaho and Kentucky, the tion about whether residents
eral. But some municipali- being switched to inactive citizenship when they reg- proposed amendments were U.S. citizens when they
ties in California, Maryland status on the state's voter ister or have it on file with would explicitly state: "No first interacted with that de-
and Vermont, as well as the registration rolls. They will the state. But because that person who is not a citizen of partment.
District of Columbia, do al- be required to provide proof cannot be required in presi- the United States" can vote. What has Congress done?
low voting by noncitizens in of citizenship and fill out a dential and congressional Similar wording won approv- Republicans in Congress are
some local elections such form to vote in November. elections, tens of thousands al from Louisiana voters two pushing a bill, known as the
as for school board and city Alabama has more than 3 of voters who have not pro- years ago. Safeguard American Voter
council. million registered voters. vided proof of citizenship are Voters in North Dakota, Colo- Eligibility Act, that would
What does the data say? In Georgia, Republican registered only for federal rado, Alabama, Florida and require proof of citizenship
Voting by noncitizens is rare. Secretary of State Brad elections. An August order Ohio passed amendments to register to vote. During a
Yet Republican officials have Raffensperger found that by a divided U.S. Supreme between 2018 and 2022 news conference about the
highlighted voter registration 1,634 potential noncitizens Court will allow voter regis- restricting voting to "only" legislation this year, House
reviews that turned up po- tried to register to vote tration forms submitted with- citizens. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.,
tential noncitizens. between 1997 and 2022, out "documentary proof of What else are states doing? did not provide specific ex-
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a though election officials citizenship" to be rejected Although noncitizen voting amples of noncitizens voting
Republican, said this past flagged them and none by Arizona counties while already is prohibited in the but insisted it is a concern.
week that more than 6,500 was registered. Georgia reg- litigation over the law con- state constitution, Repub- "We all know, intuitively, that
potential noncitizens have istered millions of other voters tinues. People will be able to lican Gov. Jeff Landry of a lot of illegals are voting in
been removed from Texas during that time. register to vote in presiden- Louisiana is continuing to federal elections," he said,
voter rolls since 2021, includ- Some election administra- tial and congressional elec- draw attention to the issue. "but it's not been something
ing 1,930 with "a voter history" tion experts have said the tions using a different federal He recently signed an ex- that is easily provable."
who have been referred for voter roll reviews show that form that requires people to ecutive order requiring state The legislation passed the
investigation by the attorney current tools to flag nonciti- swear they are citizens under agencies that provide voter Republican-led House in July
general's office. Texas has zen voters are working. penalty of perjury, without registration forms to include largely along partisan lines
almost 18 million registered What do the courts say? requiring proof. a written disclaimer that non- but has not come to a vote
voters. Arizona provides a case What's on the ballot? citizens are prohibited from in the Democratic-led Sen-
Ohio Secretary of State Frank study for the long-running Republican-led legislatures in voting. ate. The Biden administration
LaRose, a Republican, said attempts by Republicans eight states have proposed In Georgia, Raffensperger said it is strongly opposed
in August that he referred for to prohibit noncitizen voting. constitutional amendments last week required every and that laws against non-
potential prosecution 138 Under a 2004 voter-ap- on their November ballots polling place to post a sign citizen voting are working.
apparent noncitizens found proved initiative, Arizona declaring that only citizens in English and Spanish warn- "This bill would do nothing
to have voted in a recent required a driver's license, can vote. ing noncitizens that it is illegal to safeguard our elections,
election and 459 more who birth certificate, passport Proposals in Iowa, Missouri, to vote. but it would make it much
registered but did not vote. or other similar document North Carolina, Oklahoma, Republican Attorney Gen- harder for all eligible Ameri-
Those figures were higher to approve a federal voter South Carolina and Wis- eral Ken Paxton of Texas, cans to register to vote and
than reviews from previous registration application. But consin would replace exist- citing "significant growth of increase the risk that eligible
years but a small fraction of the U.S. Supreme Court ruled ing constitutional provisions the noncitizen population" in voters are purged from voter
the more than 8 million reg- in 2013 that Arizona cannot stating that "every" citizen or the state, set up a special rolls," the White House said in
istered voters in Ohio. require documentary proof "all" citizens can vote with email account Wednesday a statement.q