Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R) has reintroduced the Voter Eligibility Verification Act, which is designed to bolster election security by ensuring states have the necessary resources to verify voter eligibility.
Republicans have long warned of the threat to election integrity, and in the latest effort, Rep. Van Duyne has joined Texas Reps. Troy Nehls (R) and Keith Self (R), Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs (R), and Georgia Rep. Austin Scott (R) in reintroducing the bill.
The legislation mandates that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) provide immigration status data to state officials within 15 days of a request from a state Attorney General or Secretary of State. The effort comes amid growing concerns over election integrity and potential voter fraud from illegal immigration.
In a statement, Rep. Van Duyne criticized Democrat policies on immigration, warning of their grave impact on election security.
“Democrats made our elections less secure when they opened our borders to a flood of illegal immigrants,” she argued, adding that “to ensure the millions of illegal aliens allowed into the country didn’t influence our elections, Texas requested citizenship data from USCIS that is necessary for determining voter eligibility.”
“USCIS failed to respond, creating gaps in voter verification, leaving Texas without the information needed to ensure only eligible ballots were cast. The Voter Eligibility Verification Act will require timely responses from USCIS, giving states the tools to protect election integrity and ensure a secure voting process,” she added.
Greg Sindelar, the CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, also released a statement, voicing the foundation’s support for the bill.
“Ensuring our elections are free and fair is essential to our democracy,” he commented.
“The way to guarantee election integrity is by requiring each voter be able to prove that they are who they claim to be and that they are eligible to vote in that election,” he added.
Sindelar praised the bill, affirming that it “codifies these principles and improves the efficiency and timeliness of getting trusted election results.”
