A bill that Republicans claim is necessary to address the ongoing border crisis and support election integrity was overwhelmingly rejected by House Democrats on Wednesday.
The bill seeks to make it necessary for voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in elections for federal office.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which also requires states to remove non-citizens from voter rolls, was passed by 216 Republicans and 5 Democrats. The bill will now go to the Senate.
A further 198 Democrats abstained from voting on the bill. Ten Democrats and four more Republicans abstained from voting.
Among the Democrats who broke ranks to support the bill were Henry Cuellar (TX), Donald Davis (NC), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA), Jared Golden (ME), and Vicente Gonzalez (TX).
Former President Donald Trump had praised the law, claiming it would stop Democrats from manipulating the electoral process.
According to a report released by Johnson’s office in support of the SAVE Act, there have been multiple instances of noncitizens on voter rolls in various states where it is not permitted, despite the fact that some municipalities in a few states and Washington, D.C. permit noncitizens to vote in local elections.
The Save Act has little chance of passing into federal law given the current distribution of power in Washington. Democrats are in charge of the Senate, while Republicans run the House.
