Idaho Governor Brad Little, a Republican, announced an executive order on Tuesday that will tighten voter registration in the state ahead of this fall’s elections.
orderThe bill, called the “Citizens Only Vote Act,” would allow Idaho’s Secretary of State to “take all necessary steps” to prevent non-citizens from registering to vote.
“Idaho already has the most secure elections in the nation and we intend to keep it that way,” Little said. “My executive order, the ‘Citizens Only Vote Act,’ directs Secretary of State Phil McGrane to work with local county clerks to scrutinize voter rolls to ensure Idaho’s elections are not compromised by Biden’s lawless open border actions.”
The new order requires the Idaho Secretary of State to work with local police and transportation departments to review the state’s voter rolls to identify people who are not citizens. The Secretary of State can also work with the Department of Homeland Security to verify citizenship status and remove people from the rolls.
The secretary and county clerks will submit annual reports to Little on their efforts to “prevent and remove aliens from Idaho’s voter rolls.”
The order also prohibits state government agencies from providing voter registration information to foreign nationals.
Little said the order was signed as a way to strike back against “left-leaning coastal states and the Biden administration” because “more and more people are coming illegally across our lawless and open southern border.”
Federal law prohibits foreigners from voting in federal elections, but some parts of the country allow them to vote in more local elections.
Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane said in a statement that Idaho already has good voter protection practices in place, but there is always room to do better.
“Idaho’s 44 counties already have great mechanisms in place to ensure that non-citizens cannot vote in Idaho, but there’s always more that can be done to ensure that only citizens can vote,” McGrane said.
The secretary said Idaho Statesman He said he initially thought no further action was necessary because it is already illegal for foreign nationals to vote in Idaho.
He later changed his mind and supported Little’s order, saying the legality of foreign nationals voting did not erase his concerns.
“We are seeing people’s confidence in the elections growing and increasing in relation to the news about immigration,” he told the outlet.
