Illegal Alien Voters Disenfranchise American Voters
By Heather Ham-Warren | September 28, 2018
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed H.Res. 1071, a resolution acknowledging the reality that allowing illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and diminishes the voting power of United States citizens.
Today, elections in the United States are governed by a complicated mix of federal, state, and municipal election laws. As a rule, noncitizens are prohibited from voting in federal elections and are subject to criminal penalties if they do. Unfortunately, certain cities have begun to not only allow, but actively encourage, illegal aliens to vote in certain municipal elections.
In 2016, the city of San Francisco passed Proposition N, to allow non-citizens to participate in certain municipal elections. In May 2018, the Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance amending the Municipal Elections Code to allow for the implementation of Prop N by requiring the elections department to develop the required documents. Interestingly, the resolution’s sponsor— House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy— is from California, and mentions San Francisco explicitly in the resolution’s text.
While San Francisco has become the city most infamous for permitting illegal alien voters, other cities have also implemented similar policies. In fact, Chicago introduced the CityKey, a government-issued photo identification card created primarily for illegal immigrants, which will be accepted as valid identification when registering to vote. Furthermore, three states allow for nonresident voting in municipal or town elections; and ten states allow nonresident voting in certain special district elections.
Allowing illegal aliens to vote in any government election is a slap in the face to the American people. The practice disenfranchises both American-born and naturalized citizens—diminishing their voices by elevating those of foreign nationals who are in the country illegally. As we approach midterm elections, this resolution is a great step towards protecting the votes of American citizens and the integrity of our democracy.
Prior to the resolution’s official vote, Leader McCarthy called for the support of his colleagues. He said, “I hope my colleagues will stand with me in protecting the right to vote for every American citizen of legal age, and rejecting all outside or foreign interference in our elections.” Ultimately, the resolution passed by a 279-72 vote, with 69 members simply voting present.