Thune: American Elections Are for American Citizens

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WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

Thune's remarks below (as delivered):

"Mr. President, I don't think this is a hot take: Only American citizens should be voting in American elections.

"Let me repeat that.

"Only American citizens should be voting in American elections.

"Of course, there's only one way to be sure that only Americans are voting in our elections: Voters have to prove they're citizens when they register to vote.

"That's just intuitively obvious.

"It's so obvious, in fact, that one poll shows that most Americans believe that proof of citizenship is already - already - a requirement to register to vote.

"But it's not.

"And polls show that the majority of Americans believe that we should require proof of citizenship to vote.

"In one recent poll, 75 percent of voters said they support requiring proof of citizenship to vote.

"That includes 61 percent of Democrats.

"And more than two-thirds of Hispanic and Black voters.

"Mr. President, this is just common sense.

"And it's why requiring proof of citizenship to vote is one of the pillars of the SAVE America Act.

"Mr. President, confirming eligibility is not some newfangled idea.

"The American people are used to proving they're eligible - especially when dealing with their state or the federal government.

"If you want to join the military, you should be prepared to show you're old enough, fit enough, and have graduated from high school.

"SNAP benefits?

"Same story - you need to hand over documents to prove need, residency, and eligibility.

"Seniors - who have paid into the system their entire lives - still need to prove that they're eligible for Social Security and Medicare when they're old enough.

"And every single job in this country requires new employees to fill out an I-9 and provide documents that prove they are eligible to work.

"Every job requires you to prove you're eligible to work in this country - whether you're working your first job scooping ice cream in the summer or joining a law firm as a senior partner.

"So why - why - don't we require proof of eligibility - that is, proof of citizenship - to vote?

"As I said, you need to prove you're eligible to work, to join the military, and to get any sort of government benefit.

"But under current law, you don't need to prove you're actually eligible to vote when you register.

"And the lack of a federal requirement on this point has stood in the way of states deciding for themselves to implement proof-of-citizenship requirements.

"On two separate occasions, the state of Arizona has attempted to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

"In 2004, Arizona voters approved a ballot referendum requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote in the state.

"It passed with a clear majority - 55 percent of Arizona voters supported the ballot question.

"But the U.S. Supreme Court struck it down.

"Fast forward to 2022, and the Arizona legislature passed a law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

"And - once again - the Supreme Court said that states cannot impose requirements that go beyond the standard federal voter registration form to vote in federal elections.

"The standard federal form that does not require proof of citizenship.

"And so here we are.

"Mr. President, the SAVE America Act would put this commonsense proof-of-citizenship requirement in place.

"This commonsense requirement that - as I said - polls show the majority of voters support.

"Passing this requirement should be a no-brainer.

"But Democrats roundly oppose this commonsense policy.

"And this should surprise nobody.

"A number of blue states happily issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

"Democrats uniformly opposed Republicans' efforts to prevent noncitizens from getting federal health care and nutrition benefits last year.

"And while states like Arizona and my home state of South Dakota are passing legislation to ensure only American citizens vote in our elections, blue cities are passing laws to allow - allow - noncitizens to vote in local elections.

"That's right, Mr. President.

"In cities in Vermont, California, and right here in Washington, D.C., noncitizens are allowed to vote in local elections.

"So it should be no surprise that Democrats seem not to care very much about ensuring that American citizens - and American citizens only - are voting in our national elections.

"But it is deeply concerning.

"Mr. President, the vote of even one ineligible voter dilutes the vote of an American citizen.

"And that's unconscionable.

"It's unconscionable for Americans who faithfully cast their votes to nudge our country in the direction they believe is best for our future.

"And I have to imagine it's especially galling for legal immigrants who have become American citizens - who have often spent years waiting and working for their citizenship and the right to vote.

"One individual in my state said this on getting his citizenship a few years ago, and I quote, 'It's a long time coming … I'm eager to vote, I'm eager to cast my voice and how I feel.'

"And that, Mr. President, is no surprise.

"Voting is, in many ways, synonymous with being an American.

"It is one of our most sacred rights as Americans.

"And a serious obligation we have to our fellow citizens and to the future of our country.

"Why shouldn't we make sure everyone who casts a ballot in this country is actually eligible to vote?"

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