Ted Cruz, Eli Crane Lead Effort to Require Only Citizens Vote

A group of Republican lawmakers, led by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona, is joining the effort to promote a rule to require proof of citizenship on federal voter registration forms. 

The lawmakers signed a public comment letter to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission in favor of a petition by America First Legal, a government watchdog group, seeking the proof of citizenship requirement for the voter registration forms, most commonly found at Department of Motor Vehicles locations. 

“Requiring documentary proof of citizenship is a simple, commonsense reform. Just as Americans are asked to show identification for far less consequential activities—boarding an airplane, opening a bank account, or even attending certain events—it is entirely reasonable to require proof of citizenship to participate in our elections,” the comment letter says. “This step would not burden eligible voters but would provide an essential check to ensure that only citizens are added to the voter rolls.”

“Requiring documentary proof of citizenship will strengthen the integrity of our elections, safeguard the voices of American citizens, and ensure that every lawful vote is protected from being diluted by unlawful ballots,” the comment letter continues. 

The America First Legal petition to the Election Assistance Commission for proof of citizenship has drawn considerable reaction from politicians and has gained about 353,000 public comments.

The petition follows President Donald Trump’s March Executive Order 14248, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” that, among other things, directs federal agencies to take action to prevent noncitizens from voting.

Previously, Democrat lawmakers Sen. Alex Padilla of California and Rep. Joseph Morelle of New York signed a letter urging the commission to reject the proposal. 

“States already have multiple systems in place to ensure that only eligible Americans vote in elections; states already determine voters’ citizenship statuses without the burdensome requirement requested in the petition,” the Democrat lawmakers wrote in their comment letter.

More recently, 14 Republican attorneys general—led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton—signed on to a public comment letter to the commission supporting the measure. 

In contrast to that, 19 Democrat attorneys general—led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta—signed a letter opposing the rule. 

The fact that Texas lawmakers Cruz, John Cornyn, and Ronny Jackson signed the congressional letter while Paxton led the national effort among attorneys general comes at a time when Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson reported as many as 2,724 noncitizens were registered to vote in Texas. 

Nelson announced this week that her office completed a full comparison of the state’s voter registration list against citizenship data on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database. 

Voters identified in the review as potential noncitizens will receive a notice from the county voter registrar and will have 30 days to present proof of citizenship in order to remain a registered voter. Otherwise, the registration will be canceled, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office. 

Joining Cruz and Crane in the official comment to the commission were Republican Sens. Ted Budd of North Carolina, Jim Banks of Indiana, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, John Cornyn of Texas, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Bernie Moreno of Ohio.

House members signing on included Republican Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Byron Donalds of Florida, Pat Fallon of Texas, Andy Harris of Maryland, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Mary Miller of Illinois, Barry Moore of Alabama, Riley Moore of West Virginia, Derek Schmidt of Kansas, and Greg Steube of Florida.