State Issues Executive Order to Stop Non-Citizens From Voting

(UnitedVoice.com) – Multiple cities have passed laws allowing non-citizens to vote in municipal elections. Proponents argue migrants live in the community and should have a say in some of the issues impacting them. One Republican governor isn’t going to allow that to happen in his state.

On July 9, Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) and Secretary of State Phil McGrane (R) announced the state was taking action to prevent non-citizens from voting. The governor signed the ONLY CITIZENS WILL VOTE Act (Executive Order 2024-07) so that he could protect free and fair elections.

The governor released a statement saying the state already had incredibly secure elections and promised to keep it that way. He said his executive order directs the secretary to purge unqualified individuals from the voter rolls and make sure the state’s elections aren’t victim to President Joe “Biden’s lawless open border.”

The executive order mandates that the secretary of state take steps to ensure that processes are in place to prevent immigrants from registering to vote. McGrane must also review the voter rolls and cross-check names with the Idaho Transportation Department and Idaho State Police to identify any non-citizens who might have previously registered to vote.

McGrane will also work with Homeland Security to take steps to verify the citizenship of those on the voter rolls. County clerks and the secretary of state must provide the governor and legislature annual reports detailing voter roll maintenance. State agencies must also confirm that they won’t give non-citizens information on registering to vote.

Republicans in the US Congress are also trying to bolster election security by passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. It would require proof of citizenship to register for federal elections. Democrats and President Joe Biden have expressed their opposition to the bill. They believe more restrictions will make it harder for American citizens to vote, especially those in marginalized communities.