Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) denied there was any evidence that illegal immigrants have voted in U.S. elections when asked Tuesday about a bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote.
“There is no evidence that illegal immigrants voted,” the border senator told Fox News' Chad Pergram during a perfunctory meeting on Capitol Hill.
Kelly was being asked for his opinion on including a citizenship requirement in a must-pass spending bill for a vote at the end of this month.
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Kelly was under consideration as a potential running mate for Kamala Harris. (Vincent Alban/Reuters)
“This is a solution in search of a problem,” he replied.
Kelly reiterated his insistence that “there is no problem.”
Republicans are stepping up efforts to secure elections ahead of the crucial November elections, including removing foreign nationals from voter rolls across the country. Last month, a months-long voter roll audit found that 138 foreign nationals had recently voted in Ohio, after the state removed hundreds of registered foreign nationals from its voter rolls earlier this year.
However, it is unclear whether the foreign nationals who voted illegally were in the U.S. illegally.
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The border has become a major issue heading into the November election. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Despite Kelly's claims, similar cases of registered aliens have been found across the country. In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott said: moreover More than 6,500 foreigners were registered in the Lone Star State.
“Of the more than 6,500 potential foreign nationals who were removed from the voter rolls, approximately 1,930 have voting history,” the August press release stated.
Alabama, Virginia and Georgia also announced during their own audits that they had found numerous instances of foreign nationals being registered to vote.
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Kelly denied claims that immigrants were taking part in the election. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
Ahead of the 2024 elections, some conservative Republicans in the House and Senate have made it their mission to include a federal citizenship requirement in a stopgap spending bill that must be passed at the end of September.
The bill, known as the Protecting American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, passed the Republican-led House of Representatives this summer by a vote of 221 to 198. Five Democrats also joined the bill: Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Don Davis (D-Nashville County) and Marie Grusenkamp Perez (D-Washington).
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Kelly represents a border state. (Ting Sheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
However, the bill has not yet been brought to a vote by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Some supporters have suggested tying the measure to a spending bill is the only way to ensure a vote in the Senate.
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“Just getting people to vote is hard enough,” Kelly said.
He said the bill would create “new systems and requirements that we don't believe are necessary.” [for]”
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