{"id":21219,"date":"2019-03-11T15:41:17","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T19:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-immigrationreform.pantheonsite.io\/?p=21219"},"modified":"2019-03-11T15:41:19","modified_gmt":"2019-03-11T19:41:19","slug":"house-democrats-devalue-voting-rights-with-support-for-non-citizen-voting-immigrationreform-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2019\/03\/11\/house-democrats-devalue-voting-rights-with-support-for-non-citizen-voting-immigrationreform-com\/","title":{"rendered":"House Democrats Devalue Voting Rights with Support For Non-Citizen Voting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
When Republicans last September put forth a non-binding resolution<\/a> opposing allowing illegal immigrants to vote in local elections, 49 Democrats joined them to secure passage. What a difference a few months make. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now in the minority, Republicans attempted to add language to the so-called For the People Act of 2019<\/a>, a sweeping proposal to overhaul the election and campaign finance system, stating that \u201callowing illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and diminishes the voting power of United States citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the Act passed, the motion to recommit with that language was defeated 228-197<\/a> and every Democrat but six opposed it. Among the opposition Democrats were 41 members who had voted to approve similar<\/a>]<\/a>\u00a0 language just six months ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Federal law already\nprohibits non-citizens from voting in elections for federal office, so the\nresolution was not important for what it would have done. What makes the vote\nimportant is now the message the House of Representatives sent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rep. Dan Crenshaw, the Texas Republican who sponsored the motion, said<\/a> it would \u201cshow the American people that despite the deep and growing differences between us, we can at least agree that the people who vote for us are citizens\u201d of the United States. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is a simple affirmation. It is an affirmation of the fact that\nthe elected representatives of this body answer to the citizens of this country\nwho voted for us,\u201d the veteran of the Afghanistan war continued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Following the passage of the bill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi showed to whom she answers with a full e<\/a>m<\/a>brace<\/a> of allowing noncitizen voting rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd these newcomers make America\nmore American. And we want them, when they come here, to be fully part of our\nsystem. And that means not suppressing the vote of our newcomers to America,\u201d\nshe said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Her position is not that surprising given the impetus for the GOP resolutions was born in Pelosi\u2019s home district of San Francisco, which last July b<\/a>e<\/a>gan allowing noncitizens<\/a> to vote in local school board elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A victory for those advocating the normalization of violating U.S. immigration laws, the effort to register illegal immigrants was a defeat for taxpayers. According to the Sacramento Bee<\/a>, San Francisco spent $310,000 \u2013 or $6,300 per voter \u2013 to create a separate voter database and to register fewer than 50 noncitizens and illegal immigrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n