several witnesses Speaking at a recent Congressional hearing, he declined to say whether voting in federal elections should be limited to U.S. citizens.
On Tuesday, a panel of five witnesses – three Democrats and two Republicans – appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss the case. John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. If passed, the bill would require federal approval before some changes to local and state election laws can take effect. Supporters of the bill argue that such onerous federal oversight of election administration is necessary to prevent discriminatory voter suppression efforts.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) asked panelists to answer “yes or no” to two questions about federal elections and U.S. citizenship within a specified time. The first question he posed was, “Do you believe that only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections?”
Three Democratic witnesses representing various left-wing activist groups refused to give candid answers, despite Mr. Lee’s instructions for panelists to answer “yes” or “no.”
“We have no position on noncitizens voting in federal elections,” said Damon Hewitt, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.racial justice“We believe that is the current law. So we are certainly fighting for everyone who is eligible to vote under current law.”
Lydia Camarillo — President Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, a group that aims to “empower Latinos and Latinos through voting,” initially tries to sidestep the issue by claiming that “state law” makes those decisions. It was made. When Lee pressed her to clarify whether the federal government has the right to decide who votes in federal elections, she responded, “I don’t have a position on that.”
Director Sophia Lynn Lakin ACLU Voting Rights Projectsimilarly declined to answer the question directly: “Federal law prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections, and we are focused on ensuring all citizens are able to vote.” There’s eligible Allow voters to cast their ballots. ”
Mr. Lee then followed up that question by asking if people needed to prove they were U.S. citizens to register to vote. Again he was subjected to a series of obfuscations.
“I think the first question sort of answers the second question,” Hewitt said. “Based on the applicable rules, federal or state elections, we know we have to follow those rules. The question is, what impact do those rules have? ”
Mr. Camarillo then tried to deflect by rambling about voter registration affidavits, but when Mr. Lee returned to the question at hand, he said with obvious disdain, “Many states have already It’s unnecessary and the question has already been asked.”
Lakin argued that laws requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote are “discriminatory.”
Two Republican Witnesses — Maureen Riordan Public Interest Legal Foundation and hans von spakovsky Both men, from the Heritage Foundation’s Election Law Reform Initiative, argued that only U.S. citizens should be allowed to vote and that they should be required to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
Von Spakovsky later added that voter ID laws would increase voter participation for all racial groups, including blacks and Hispanics. “That’s not my opinion,” he said. “This is based on over 15 years of voter turnout data that we currently have.”
In closing, Lee lamented that Democratic witnesses could not agree with the “overwhelming majority of Americans” who only want records of Americans who voted in federal elections. “You have to show your ID to get on a plane, to go to the doctor, to get a prescription,” he said. “Why don’t you vote?”
can see the entire hearing here. Lee’s time starts just before 1:19:00.
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