The right to vote is a fundamental aspect of our Democracy. Over the past few decades, confidence in our elections has been shaken. We must restore the American people’s faith in our democratic system. The American Confidence in Election (ACE) Act is an important step in the right direction.
Last week, in the Committee on House Administration, I participated in a hearing, where we marked up eight pieces of legislation within the ACE Act. These eight provisions seek to strengthen American confidence in elections, especially as it relates to preventing noncitizens from voting. This is incredibly important as in recent years, many localities and cities have permitted non-citizens to vote in local elections. Additionally, many states have failed to meet federal voter list maintenance standards. Allowing non-citizens to cast ballots in any American election weakens our electoral system and the value of citizenship and sows distrust in our elections.
I am a cosponsor of the NO VOTE for Non-Citizens Act, which passed out of Committee. This legislation amends the Help Americans Vote Act (HAVA) and requires separate ballots in states that allow non-citizen voters to vote in local or municipal elections to prevent them from voting in state or federal elections for which they are ineligible. This legislation also requires that federal agencies that maintain information on the status of registered voters in federal elections must share that information with state election officials. Importantly, the bill prohibits the use of federal dollars to support any non-citizen voting in elections. Further, if a state decides to move ahead with allowing non-citizens to vote in state elections, they would incur a penalty to their HAVA funding used to support federal elections by 30%.
We also passed the Protecting American Voters Act which requires that the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration provide citizenship information concerning registered voters to a State at no cost. I do not in any way support the idea of federalizing elections, but it’s important that states have the necessary tools to ensure voter rolls are accurate. The ACE Act has three main pillars: equipping states with election integrity tools, implementing election integrity reforms in Washington, D.C., and protecting political speech and donor privacy. By granting state and county election officials the Social Security death list, we can ensure voter rolls are maintained appropriately. We must also work to strengthen Voter ID Laws and signature verification measures. When people have more confidence in our voting systems, they’re more likely to participate. I remain committed to safeguarding future elections and restoring faith in our democracy.
