A prominent conservative group is launching a nationwide bus tour this month as part of an effort to urge lawmakers to pass legislation that would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
Tea Party Patriots Action, one of the largest conservative grassroots organizations in the country, is planning a three-week bus tour that will stop in more than a dozen states, according to a release shared first with The Hill.
The organization is pushing for lawmakers to attach the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections, to must-pass legislation such as a budget resolution or the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“The legacy media keep insisting that requiring proof of citizenship is redundant, because noncitizen voting is already illegal,” said Jenny Beth Martin, who co-founded the group, in a statement. “What they don’t explain is that there is currently no enforcement method to ensure that the law is being followed. This is where the SAVE Act comes in — it adds an important safety mechanism to ensure the law is being implemented as intended.”
The bus tour will begin in California and travel across states that border Mexico to highlight the issue of immigration. It will work its way east, stopping in states like North Carolina and Pennsylvania, with a focus on states with senators that could be swayed to vote for the SAVE Act.
That tour will culminate in an event in Washington in early September, when the group’s leaders will deliver petitions to lawmakers.
The bus tour is part of a larger month of activity Tea Party Patriots Action is leading to highlight the SAVE Act and the need to pass the legislation.
The House in April passed the SAVE Act, formally titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, in a 220-208 vote. Four Democrats — Reps. Ed Case (Hawaii), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Jared Golden (Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) — voted with all Republicans in favor.
But the Senate has yet to take up the bill.
It’s already illegal for those who are not U.S. citizens to vote in federal elections, and critics argue there are exceedingly few cases of noncitizens casting ballots. But proponents of the bill have argued it is necessary to prevent migrants from voting in elections.
Democrats and opponents of the legislation have argued that in addition to it being unnecessary, it would disenfranchise many Americans who may not have proof of citizenship handy to be able to cast a ballot.
President Trump earlier this year signed an executive order that directs states to require proof of citizenship when individuals register to vote. But the order drew skepticism from legal experts and would likely be undone by the next Democratic president.
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