In a rare bipartisan move, the House of Representatives has taken a firm stand against the District of Columbia's controversial new law allowing noncitizens, including illegal immigrants, to vote in local elections, igniting a heated debate over the sanctity of U.S. citizenship.
Top Points
1. **Bipartisan House Vote:** The House passed a bill with a 262-143 vote, including support from both parties, to repeal D.C.'s new law that permits noncitizens, including illegal immigrants, to vote in local elections. This highlights the contentious nature and political significance of the issue.
2. **Defense of Citizenship:** Republicans argue that allowing noncitizens to vote undermines the value of citizenship and equates citizens with temporary visitors and unauthorized migrants. Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) emphasized the need to restore citizenship as "the gold standard."
3. **Controversy and Opposition:** Democrats opposing the bill argue that Congress should focus on issues like gun violence and climate change rather than intervening in D.C.'s local governance. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) criticized the bill as an affront to democracy, while Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) dismissed fears of foreign interference and low noncitizen voter turnout.
On Thursday, the House issued a bipartisan rebuke to the District of Columbia over its new law allowing noncitizens, including illegal immigrants, to vote in local elections. Republicans framed the vote as a defense of citizenship, arguing that allowing noncitizens to vote undermines the value of citizenship and equates citizens with temporary visitors and unauthorized migrants.
"Put citizenship back in its rightful place as the gold standard," said Rep. August Pfluger, the Texas Republican who authored the legislation.
The bill passed with a 262-143 vote, with some Democrats joining Republicans, highlighting the issue's political significance. Opponents, like Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), argued that Congress should focus on issues like gun violence and climate change instead of interfering with D.C.'s local governance. Garcia criticized the debate as hypocritical, pointing to Republicans who did not certify the 2020 election results.
While noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections, some cities have allowed them to vote in local elections. D.C.'s policy, one of the most ambitious, lets residents who have lived in the city for at least 30 days vote in local elections, including those without legal status. Republicans warned this could even allow foreign agents, such as Russian spies, to vote.
The D.C. Council approved the policy in late 2022 despite opposition from Mayor Muriel Bowser. With Democrats controlling the Senate, the repeal bill passed by the House is largely symbolic. Shortly after the House vote, the Senate addressed President Biden's border security changes, facing bipartisan opposition for different reasons: Republicans found the changes insufficient, while Democrats thought they went too far.
For the D.C. repeal bill, 52 Democrats joined Republicans, ten more than on a similar measure last year, indicating growing concern about noncitizen voting. Historically, noncitizen voting was common in the early U.S. but faded by the 20th century. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) noted that early voting laws were more about property ownership than citizenship.
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.'s nonvoting representative in Congress, called the bill an affront to democracy, arguing it was paternalistic for Congress to override the city council's decision. Despite the House vote, interest in noncitizen voting remains strong in liberal cities and towns. Some jurisdictions allow noncitizens with tentative legal status to vote, while D.C.'s law includes short-term visitors and illegal immigrants.
Raskin, who led the opposition, said there was no evidence of foreign adversaries voting and doubted illegal immigrants would register, as it would be risky for them. However, other areas with noncitizen voting have seen low turnout from that group. D.C. aims to change this by sending voter registration instructions to noncitizens.
Raskin reported that 512 noncitizens have registered to vote in D.C., within a voting population of about half a million. Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) estimated that up to 50,000 noncitizens could eventually register, with more likely as elections near.
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