Should non-citizens be legally allowed to vote in U.S. elections? Should non-citizens be able to register to vote without ever being asked for proof of citizenship?
Granite State Democrats currently serving in Congress, as well as those campaigning to get there, will face those questions this week when Republicans bring the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to the floor for a vote. House Democratic leaders have already announced their intention to “whip” against the bill, hoping to keep worried members in swing districts from defecting to the GOP.
One of those potential defectors is Rep. Chris Pappas.
The SAVE Act would “require an individual to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections; and provide states with access to existing federal databases so they can clean up their voter registration rolls and remove noncitizens from the rolls,” according to a memo released by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)
“The SAVE Act will safeguard our elections by ensuring only American citizens vote in federal elections,” Johnson said.
But Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) has told her members — first reported by Axios — that they should oppose the bill.
The question now is whether New Hampshire Reps. Annie Kuster and Pappas will get in line with party leadership, or will they break over an issue related to illegal immigration and ballot security?
Polls show a solid majority of voters oppose allowing non-citizens to vote in American elections — a cause celebre among progressive Democrats; and they overwhelmingly support requiring voter ID. Americans also reject calls to allow illegal immigrants to vote in U.S. elections as well.
In May, both Kuster and Pappas joined every House Republican in voting to override Washington, D.C.’s policy allowing non-citizens to legally participate in District elections. Most Democrats voted to keep the D.C. policy.
Neither Kuster nor Pappas would respond to requests for comment about the SAVE Act. Both voted against federal voter ID mandates in the past.
And neither of the two Democrats hoping to replace Kuster, Maggie Goodlander and Colin Van Ostern, would tell NHJournal how they would vote on the measure if they were in office.
The SAVE Act issue is particularly timely for New Hampshire politics, where the GOP-controlled legislature just passed a new law requiring proof of citizenship in order to become a registered voter in the state. Granite State Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the requirement. They support allowing people to simply sign an affidavit claiming to be a U.S. citizen when they first register to vote.
Not surprisingly, Republicans are calling out Democrats, both in Washington and in New Hampshire, for their opposition to the proof of citizenship requirement.
“Joe Biden isn’t fit for office. Of course extreme House Democrats and those vying to join their ranks would want illegal migrants voting to boost their failing president,” NRCC Spokeswoman Savannah Viar told NHJournal.
