Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) is a member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration who led the way on Tuesday when she introduced the Citizen Ballot Protection Act alongside colleagues Republicans in the panel. This legislative initiative is similar to the introduction earlier of H.R.4316 by Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06) and will give States with more tools to confirm the citizenship of people who vote at federal election.
The proposed law, scheduled to take effect the 14th of December, 2023 up to August 2024, focuses on permitting States to require the submission of proof of American citizenship for those who register to vote by mail-in applications. If the bill is passed it would make it a lawful States with the authority to impose this obligation.
Senator Katie Britt underscored the importance of restricting voting rights to American citizens. She said, “Voting in our country is a fundamental right that should be restricted in the case of American citizens. The idea of allowing States to respect this rule should be sensible.” The senator expressed her concern regarding certain cities that allow non-citizens voting in municipal elections highlighting the possibility of disenfranchisement for American citizens as well as the weakening of the faith-based electoral system.
The Representative Gary Palmer echoed these sentiments and stated, “The American people deserve an election system that has impeccable credibility.” He was pleased with Senator Britt’s involvement in providing an option to safeguard the rights to vote to American citizens, while highlighting the possibility of fraud and necessity of restoring trust in the process of voting.
The original co-sponsors of the legislation members of the Senate Rules Committee include Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Rules Committee Ranking Member Deb Fischer (R-Nebr. ) and Senate members Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss. ), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss. ) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.).
The need for legislation was prompted by recent changes made in Washington, D.C., which allow noncitizens who have lived in the city for more than 30 consecutive days to participate for local elections beginning in 2024. Similar laws have been enacted in the cities of Maryland, Vermont, and New York in recent years.
H.R.4316, which is the counterpart bill of the Citizen Ballot Protection Act, was given a positive report by the Committee on House Administration on November 30.
The law addresses issues regarding issues with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993, particularly Section 6, which dictates the requirements for registration in federal elections. This legislation Citizen Ballot Protection Act aims to clarify and alter the NVRA by explicitly permitting States to impose an obligation to show proof of citizenship for registration forms to be sent to voters by mail.
The issue was brought to the forefront in the 2013. Supreme Court ruling that Arizona cannot require a documentary proof of citizenship in forms for federal voter registration in the absence of U.S. Election Assistance Commission approval. This legislation, known as the Citizen Ballot Protection Act seeks to change this view by ensuring States are able to add an obligation to prove citizenship when registering voters.
If enacted and enacted, this 2 pages Citizen Ballot Protection Act would give States having the authority to protect the authenticity of voter registrations, taking care of issues relating to citizenship, without jeopardizing the fundamental aspects of the election procedure.
