Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., and Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., have launched an effort to support a petition that would mandate proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in elections at the federal level.
The petition was started by America First Legal Foundation.
“We submit this comment in support of America First Legal Foundation’s petition urging the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to amend its regulations and the National Mail Voter Registration Form to require documentary proof of United States citizenship (DPOC) in order to register to vote in federal elections,” a bicameral comment letter in support of a petition reads.
This announcement comes days after Texas State Secretary Jane Nelson announced the state had identified more than 2,700 registered voters who are not American citizens. Non-citizens in Texas are prohibited from voting in federal, state and most local elections.
“Everyone’s right to vote is sacred and must be protected. We encourage counties to conduct rigorous investigations to determine if any voter is ineligible — just as they do with any other data set we provide,” Nelson, a Republican, said in a news release.
Texas compared its list of voters with a federal government database that the state called a “critically important” data set it will continue to use. Nelson said Texas was among the first states to partner with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements data.
The petition put forward by America First Legal Foundation urges the EAC and the National Mail Voter Registration form to update requirements and make proof of citizenship a requirement to vote in federal elections. The petition was filed earlier this year.
“Unfortunately, the current federal form falls short of that mandate,” the letter reads.
The lawmakers say that the current form relies on “self-attestation of citizenship” which means someone could check a box with incorrect information about their citizenship.
Other Republican lawmakers who have signed the letter include Reps. Byron Donalds (Florida) and Greg Steube (Florida) and Sens. Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee), John Cronyn (Texas) and Ron Johnson (Wisconsin).
“Requiring documentary proof of citizenship is a simple, common-sense reform,” the letter says. “Just as Americans are asked to show identification for far less consequential activities — boarding an airplane, opening a bank account or even attending certain events — it is entirely reasonable to require proof of citizenship to participate in our elections.”
Editor’s note: Ray Lewis of The National Desk contributed to this article.
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