GOP-led House passes measure banning non-citizens from voting

(The Center Square) – The Republican-led U.S. House late Wednesday passed a measure to ensure that non-citizens aren’t registered to vote in federal elections.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act passed in a 221-198 vote largely along party lines,with five Democrats joining Republicans in approving the measure.

The Biden administration opposes it, and Democratic leaders in Congress encouraged colleagues to vote against it.

The bill, from U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, was filed after several local Democratic-run jurisdictions announced efforts to register noncitizens to vote, and some, like the District of Columbia, passed measures to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, as The Center Square previously reported .

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., said in a “ Whip Question ” sent to House Democrats that because of the act's proof of citizenship requirement, it "would prevent Americans from registering to vote with their drivers’ license alone."

Roy disputed that, arguing Democrats oppose it "because they WANT non-citizens, including illegals, to vote.”

The bill now heads to the Democrat-led U.S. Senate, where it is unlikely to advance.

• Freelance reporter Bethany Blankley contributed to this report.