Democrats vote overwhelmingly against GOP bill aiming to bar illegal aliens from voting

The House passed another key immigration bill Thursday despite Democrats nearly unanimously voting to tank the legislation.

The SAVE Act, which was spearheaded by Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, passed in a near party-line vote with 216 Republicans voting for the bill and 208 Democrats voting against it. Just four Democrats joined Republicans to pass the legislation.

"The bill is pretty simple," Roy said. "It just simply says you've got to demonstrate with documentary proof of citizenship that you're a citizen the next time you're going through the cycle of your registration process, or if a state decides to clean out their voter rolls."

'Free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional Republic.'

Some critics have suggested that the bill is redundant as it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in elections. Despite this, voter registration relies on individuals to self-report their own citizenship status without verification. Roy's bill would close that existing loophole and fortify elections against illegal voting.

"All this would do is prevent illegals from voting," Roy added. "We believe that only American citizens should vote in American elections."

The SAVE Act narrowly passed the House in the previous Congress with the support of five Democrats. However, the bill was struck down by then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who refused to take the bill to the floor.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also previously attached the SAVE Act to a funding bill in September, which was met with backlash from Democrats. Former President Joe Biden even committed to vetoing the continuing resolution if the SAVE Act was attached to it.

This time around, Roy's bill is facing better odds with President Donald Trump's supportive administration as well as a comfortable Republican majority in the Senate. Trump even issued an executive order in March that mirrored aspects of Roy's legislation, further bolstering the integrity of American elections.

"Free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional Republic," the order reads. "The right of American citizens to have their votes properly counted and tabulated, without illegal dilution, is vital to determining the rightful winner of an election."

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