** For use by media to be included in any articles or opinion pieces regarding the SAVE Act **
As soon as this Wednesday, July 10th, the House of Representatives brings before the nation a bill that requires proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections. Experts in election security, public policy, and transparency have issued statements in support of the measure.
The Safeguard American Vote Act (SAVE) is a common-sense measure that helps state election officials conduct accurate elections by confirming citizenship when individuals register to vote. It includes safeguards to protect citizen voters’ rights, including naturalized citizens.
Editors and reporters covering the bill are welcome to quote from statements below:
The SAVE Act would do the following:
- Require proof of citizenship when individuals register to vote in federal elections.
- Provide citizens a cause of action if state election officials fail to check on citizenship requirements on voter rolls.
- Provide means for citizens to submit non-traditional attestation documents to verify their citizenship and ensure their rights to vote are protected.
- Protect the rights of naturalized citizens to register and cast their ballots.
- Enable states to use federal databases (Dept. of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration) to confirm citizenship and legal status to vote.
–House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) official statement in support of H.R. 8281:
“There is currently an unprecedented and a clear and present danger to the integrity of our election system. And that is the threat of non-citizens and illegal aliens voting in our elections.
“Due to the wide-open border that the Biden administration has refused to close – in fact that they engineered to open – we now have so many non-citizens in the country that if only one out of 100 of those voted, they would cast hundreds of thousands of votes. This is a dangerously high number, and it’s a great concern to millions and millions of Americans. It could obviously change the outcome of our elections, and this is not an empty threat or concern.
“It is clear that our election process is worth protecting. It is our responsibility as members of Congress and concerned leaders of citizens groups and organizations who care about the integrity of our system and our elections. It is our duty to ensure that this is done. Even if you weren’t concerned about the drop boxes and the ballot harvesting and the mail in ballots and 2020, you definitely should be concerned that illegal aliens might be voting in 2024. And that’s why it is critical that we pass the SAVE act to safeguard our federal elections and ensure that only Americans get to decide American elections.”
(Speaker’s Report on the SAVE Act HERE.)
–Representative Chip Roy (R-TX), principal author of the SAVE Act::
“This bill fixes a problem where the federal government was the barrier to states being able to ensure that only citizens vote; the bill makes sure that citizenship is being checked to vote in federal elections for House, Senate, and the President.”
“The constitution is very clear about protecting citizens’ rights to vote. Any attacks from the left that this would disenfranchise voters is ‘rhetorical hogwash.’ We have taken great pains …. to track and follow Supreme Court precedent, existing state law, to ensure there are no undue burdens on a citizen’s right to vote. We go that extra step to require that all states have documentary proof of citizenship.”
The SAVE Act provides “mechanisms for the state to provide other avenues to attest citizenship, including affidavits and checks of government databases. That’s all in the bill. The bill has taken great pains to follow state and federal law to protect citizens’ rights to vote.”
“Congress needs to pass the SAVE Act to stop our broken borders from further breaking our elections.”
–Cleta Mitchell, founder, Election Integrity Network, co-founder, Only Citizens Vote Coalition:
“The SAVE Act is necessary to fix the problems in the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which requires states to accept and use the federal voter registration form. The Supreme Court ruled a decade ago that unless Congress changes the NVRA, states may not require documentary proof of citizenship to verify the citizenship question on the federal form.
“The SAVE Act does that, to keep noncitizens from registering to vote. The SAVE Act also requires states to confirm the citizenship status of those already on the voter rolls. Congress must pass the SAVE Act to keep noncitizens from registering – and voting – in our elections.”
–Secretary of State Cord Byrd, Florida:
“A state cannot verify the citizenship status of persons in the United States without the assistance and cooperation of the federal government. Indeed, the federal government is the only source of accurate, up-to-date information on the citizenship status of such persons.”
–Mike Howell, Executive Director, The Oversight Project, The Heritage Foundation:
“The Oversight Project has proven the threat non-citizens pose to the integrity of our elections. We’ve uncovered illegal aliens obtaining fraudulent residency documents, being provided partisan literature encouraging them to vote for President Biden, and even non-citizens admitting to being registered to vote. What the left has called a conspiracy theory we have instead proven to be one of the biggest threats to free and fair elections.”
–Jenny Beth Martin, Honorary chairman, Tea Party Patriots Action:
“Tea Party Patriots Action strongly supports the SAVE Act because it would bolster the integrity of our country’s federal elections by closing the loopholes that allow noncitizens to register and vote. This legislation would represent a step forward in upholding the sanctity of our democratic process and ensuring that every vote cast in our federal elections is done so only by American citizens.”
-House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), an original cosponsor of the SAVE Act:
“Let us be clear: Only American citizens should have a say in American elections. No amount of spin changes the fact that Congressman Chip Roy’s SAVE Act, which I’m proud to cosponsor, is simple. It protects American citizens’ right to vote by requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration and the removal of noncitizens from voter rolls.”
“Safeguarding our elections should not be a partisan issue. But the Democrats are hellbent on making it one because it’s a part of their grand design – if illegal immigrants are not voting in our elections as Democrats contend, then why are they working so hard against this bill? There IS evidence that shows noncitizens have been on voter rolls and voted in U.S. elections.
“While Democrats work for illegal immigrants, House Republicans are going to continue to work for the American people. Our message again is simple: American elections are for Americans only.”
–Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), co-founder and co-chair of the Election Integrity Caucus (via statement on X):
“As the co-founder and co-chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, the election security of our nation is at risk. [President] Biden’s dangerous executive order [Executive Order 14019] that unlawfully creates vote harvesting using our tax dollars combined with an open border that is flooding our country with illegal immigrants is undermining our sacred right to vote.”
“House Republicans have a solution: The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act). This legislation requires proof of citizenship for voters to register in all federal elections. It also requires the states to clean up outdated voter rolls.
“We must preserve our self-governance. We just preserve one citizen, one vote. Congress must pass the SAVE Act.”
–Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) | Senate Sponsor of the SAVE Act via statement on X:
“Biden let in millions of illegal aliens. Now he’s opposing the SAVE Act, which would prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections. Tell your members of Congress: pass the SAVE Act!”
–Ken Paxton, Attorney General, Texas, via statement on X:
“The White House has formally announced that Biden will veto the Republican bill that seeks to prevent noncitizens from voting. There is no hiding it now. Biden and the Democrats want illegal immigrants to vote in the election this November. Our elections are NOT safe from mass interference as long as states do not require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.”
–Kerri (Houston) Toloczko, Executive Director, Election Integrity Network:
“No greater honor or responsibility is afforded a citizen than the right to vote. For Black Americans and women, that right was not easily won. Today’s naturalized citizens earn the right lawfully through years of waiting and a high financial burden.
“For citizen voters to have their political voice stolen by foreign nationals with no legal right to vote dishonors and disrespects those who struggled fiercely for the honor of casting a ballot.”
–Lynn Taylor, President, Election Integrity Network Action:
“Only Italians vote in Italy. Only Canadians vote in Canada. Only Americans should vote in America. It is up to the citizens of every country to chart the course for their own nation. The SAVE Act will ensure that only U.S. citizen voters make the decisions that choose America’s leaders, policies and future.”
–AMAC Senior Vice President Andy Mangione:
“The SAVE Act is vitally important to protect the sanctity of our elections, particularly with the influx of people that have entered our country illegally. The SAVE Act ensures that only U.S. citizens may register to vote in our elections, cleans up voter rolls, and introduces critical accountability measures to ensure the law is followed.”
–Andrew Roth, President, State Freedom Caucus Network:
“Our states are straining under the load of an illegal alien surge over the past three and half years. Congress must pass the SAVE Act and give states the necessary tools to prevent these noncitizens from voting in our elections. Passing the SAVE Act is an important step to protecting the rights of American citizens to elect their governments, not foreign nationals.”
–Paul Teller, Executive Director, Advancing American Freedom:
“Only Americans should vote in American elections. Our laws should ensure this and strengthen safeguards protecting our elections. Advancing American Freedom enthusiastically supports the SAVE Act as a strong first step in ensuring the integrity of American elections in the face of the Biden Administration’s mockery of our Southern border.”
–Star Parker, President, Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE):
“As the Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) strives to fight poverty and restore dignity by supporting faith, freedom and personal responsibility, we are pleased to express our support for H.R. 8281, Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
“As the Party of Abraham Lincoln, Republicans allied with black Americans to pass the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution – abolishing slavery, granting citizenship and civil rights to emancipated black Americans, and guaranteeing that the right to vote could not be denied based on ‘race, color, or previous condition of servitude.’
“The SAVE Act protects these important rights by ensuring that black Americans, and all Americans, are not disenfranchised by allowing ineligible people to cancel the impact of their votes. Those who deny that there is a serious risk of this happening are ignoring reality or seeking to gaslight the American people.”
–Ashley Hayek, America First Works Executive Director:
“Millions of illegal immigrants are flooding our borders, jeopardizing American lives and the sanctity of their vote. To protect our elections, we must pass the SAVE Act. If the Left truly cares about democracy, they’ll support this bill and ensure that no non-citizen votes are illegally counted.”
–Elon Musk, Chairman, SpaceX, CEO, X Platform: (public comments)
“Those who oppose this (SAVE Act) are traitors. All Caps: TRAITORS. What is the penalty for traitors again?”
–Margie Shelps, Chairman, Aiken County Election Integrity:
“Support for the SAVE Act is more important now than ever in our history. A record number of illegal aliens are crossing our border with an expectation to “vote for Joe Biden.”
“In the November election, South Carolina voters will vote for an amendment to our state constitution that states “ONLY” US Citizens can register to vote, but the Federal laws make this difficult to enforce.”
Media Contact: Erin Joyce, [email protected]
The Only Citizens Vote Coalition is a national alliance of organizations, individuals and lawmakers uniting American citizens and leaders and dedicated to protecting the votes of America’s citizen voters by ending noncitizen voting.
Quotations contained in this release may be reprinted in part or in whole, including quotes, provided full attribution is given to the principal and includes his or her official attribution.
