Why 4 Democrats defied their party to protect American elections from illegal aliens

The House passed a Republican-led bill requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration on Thursday. Despite Democrats' overwhelming disapproval of the key legislation, four Democratic lawmakers reached across the aisle.

Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy's SAVE Act was passed in a 220-208 vote almost entirely along party lines, similar to the bill's narrow passage in the previous Congress.

Just as they did in 2024, Democrats voted to tank Roy's bill, with just a handful defecting and joining Republicans: Reps. Ed Case of Hawaii, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington.

While this handful of Democrats bucked their party on a key vote, they likely did so just for political survival.

"I voted for the SAVE Act for the simple reason that American elections are for Americans," Golden said in a statement Thursday. "Requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote is common sense."

Golden, who has previously defected from his party on other key votes, additionally defended the SAVE Act and even debunked some misconceptions about the bill.

"Some claim that requiring proof of citizenship is too onerous a burden, or that it will 'disenfranchise' those whose names have changed for reasons like marriage," Golden said. "The truth is the SAVE Act ensures name changes will not prevent anyone from registering to vote."

"The bill allows for several different ways to prove citizenship," Golden added. "But most importantly, it requires state leaders to establish protocols to allow citizens to register even if there are discrepancies in documents, such as name changes."

In statements shared with Blaze News, both Cuellar and Case echoed Golden's position, arguing that the standards put forward by the SAVE Act ensure that the law is enforced properly.

"Noncitizen voting is illegal, and we should all know that noncitizens are not voting," Case said. "The SAVE Act provides consistent national standards for what documentation is necessary to prove citizenship and the right to vote."

"It includes various acceptable forms of identification which most voter-eligible citizens should have and those who don’t should be able to obtain," Case added. "Fears of voter suppression because of these standards are overstated and should not prevent reasonable citizen ID requirements, and voter suppression is in any event illegal.”

"Ultimately, this is about protecting the integrity of our elections while ensuring every eligible American has a fair chance to vote — whether you are a man or a woman, single, married, divorced, or widowed," Cuellar said. "That’s how we keep trust in our democracy, and that’s something worth standing up for.”

Notably, every Democrat who voted for the SAVE Act, with the exception of Case, resides in a district that President Donald Trump won in 2024. Trump won Golden's district with 53.8%, Cuellar's district with 53.1%, and Perez's district with exactly 50%.

These Democrats also narrowly won re-election in their respective purple districts last election cycle. Golden won with just 50.3% of the vote, Cuellar won with 52.8%, and Perez held on to her seat with 51.7%.

While this handful of Democrats bucked their party on a key vote, they likely did so just for political survival.

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