VOA News | Friday, July 12, 2024 
Election bill unneeded and intimidating, voting rights advocates say

Congressional Republicans joined by some Democrats this week passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, a bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. During a media briefing Wednesday, voting and immigration rights advocates addressed concerns about the bill and false claims regarding noncitizens voting in state and federal elections. “The reality is that states have multiple systems in place to deter noncitizen voting,” said Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the Voting Rights program at the Brennan Center for Justice. Morales-Doyle said voting by noncitizens is “exceedingly” rare. “It is already a crime many times over for noncitizens to vote in state and federal elections. It’s a state crime to register as a noncitizen. It’s a federal crime to register as a noncitizen. It’s a state crime to vote as a noncitizen. It’s a federal crime to vote as a noncitizen. There are severe penalties for those who violate these laws, they face prison time, they face deportation,” he said. The Brennan Center for Justice, part of the New York University School of Law, is a member of a broad coalition that tracks election-related disinformation. One of the biggest myths, the center said in April, is that noncitizens are voting. “Yes, people do things that are illegal sometimes, but  Morales-Doyle said…Read more