After months of mounting pressure from election integrity advocates nationwide, House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) formally announced that the SAVE Act would be attached to the continuing resolution (HR 9494) to preserve funding of the federal government. The vote was held on Wednesday, September 18th. Three Democrats crossed party lines to vote for the resolution while 14 Republicans voted against the resolution.
Prior to the vote Speaker Johnson posted this statement on X:
“Congress has an immediate obligation to do two things: responsibly fund the federal government, and ensure the security of our elections. Because we owe this to our constituents, we will move forward on Wednesday with a vote on the 6-month CR with the SAVE Act attached. I urge all of my colleagues to do what the overwhelming majority of the people of this county rightfully demand and deserve – prevent non-American citizens from voting in American elections.”
The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act was originally introduced earlier this year by Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) and requires voters to provide documented proof of citizenship when registering to vote in an effort to prevent non-citizens from voting. In the wake of an unprecedented border crisis and the untold millions of foreign nationals illegally entering the United States, such a bill has never been more necessary to secure the sanctity of American elections.
Democratic politicians and their allies in the mainstream media have vehemently opposed the SAVE Act, insisting that such a bill is unnecessary, saying that it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections. However, without federal cooperation in identifying foreign nationals on the voter rolls, and therefore prosecute those that do, the law is essentially meaningless. The federal government is refusing to share their databases with states so they can verify citizenship.
Governor Abbott recently released data indicating that over 6,500 non-citizens were found on Texas voter rolls and that nearly 1,500 of those had voted in at least one election. Those numbers only reflect non-citizens who self-identified at the DPS or to get out of jury duty.
Furthermore, many states do not require any form of citizenship verification to vote. The federal government currently requires a mere “attestation of citizenship,” to vote for senators, representatives, and presidents. This regulation practically amounts to checking a box on a form.
Republican voters, legislators, and media personalities have long been urging Speaker Johnson to attach the SAVE Act to the spending bill, thereby forcing its passage to prevent a government shutdown. Rep. Chip Roy told Congress, “Stand up with President Trump … demand that we freeze spending, hold it in check, take the pen away from the radical progressive Democrats and Joe Biden in a lame duck, and let’s make sure that ONLY American citizens can vote in American elections.”
Meanwhile, Democratic members of Congress have vowed to continue opposing the bill in any and all forms. Unfortunately, 14 Republicans joined them in voting against the resolution. Two of those were from Texas, Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston and Rep. Beth VanDuyne of Irving. While these Republicans may have different reasons for voting against the resolution, the result is the same.
After the vote, Speaker Johnson said, “The play that we ran tonight was the right play. It’s the right play for the American people. It’s the one they demand and deserve,”
“We have two very important objectives right now. Congress has an obligation to fund the government. Congress has an obligation to ensure that our elections are secure, fair and free. This vote tonight could have accomplished both. I’m very disappointed that it didn’t pass.”
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