House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, introduced legislation on Wednesday aimed at preventing non-citizens from voting in U.S. elections, citing concerns over potential impacts on electoral outcomes.
At a press conference held at the base of the U.S. Capitol, Johnson joined Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to unveil the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
Johnson highlighted the urgency, claiming that “a dangerously high number” of illegal immigrants might be voting in U.S. elections due to what he described as a “wide open border” engineered by the Biden administration.
“If only one out of 100 of those voted, they would cast hundreds of thousands of votes,” Johnson asserted. “Given the razor-thin margins in our elections and the pivotal role of a few states, this is a great concern to millions of Americans. It could obviously change the outcome of our elections.”
Acknowledging uncertainties about the extent of illegal voting, Johnson emphasized that the proposed legislation would prevent such occurrences.
“We all know intuitively that a lot of illegals are voting in federal elections, but it’s not been something that is easily provable,” Johnson said. “This legislation will allow us to do exactly that. It will prevent that from happening.”
Roy echoed Johnson’s sentiments, emphasizing public support for stricter voter ID measures.
“We’re here for the simple proposition supported by the vast majority of the American people, that only citizens of the United States should vote,” Roy stated. “We should have documentary proof and a system to guarantee that only citizens of the United States vote in federal elections.”
Former Trump administration officials Stephen Miller and Hogan Gidley, now with the America First Policy Institute, also attended the press conference.
“It is dangerous lunacy to ignore the law and allow people who are not American citizens to vote in American elections,” Gidley emphasized.
