McCaul votes in support of SAVE Act

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman emeritus of the House Committee on Homeland Security — voted for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, legislation he also cosponsored in both the 118th and 119th Congress.

The SAVE Act would strengthen federal law by requiring proof of American citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.

“Americans deserve to know their elections will be safe and secure when they go to the ballot box. The SAVE Act will restore public confidence in our election system by closing loopholes that enable non-citizens to register to vote. It’s appalling that not a single Democrat voted for this commonsense legislation, despite the fact it offers six different ways for citizens to verify their identity. Their opposition underscores why we need this bill — to provide a line of defense against any fraudulent effort to bolster Democrats’ voting bloc.”

Background: Federal law — the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 — states that it is illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, yet the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) does not require states to verify citizenship upon registration. This has led to noncitizen voting in several states, including Massachusetts, Ohio, and Virginia. The SAVE Act, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), would amend the NVRA to ensure that only American citizens can vote in federal elections.

Specifically, it would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections; and Provide states with access to existing federal databases and require them to remove noncitizens from their rolls.