Republicans really want you to think noncitizens are voting in droves. They're not.
Another week, another group of Republicans trying to stir up controversy for the sake of winning votes.
North Carolina Republicans passed a ballot initiative that would change the wording of the state constitution, clarifying that “only a citizen of the United States” who meets all of the requirements can vote.
The problem? That’s what the law already says.
They aren’t the only state Republicans pushing a ballot measure on this. Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin are also trying to make noncitizen voting an issue for the November election. A bill on the same topic passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.
They all have one thing in common. They're trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist as part of the ongoing scare tactics campaign Republicans are committed to.
The SAVE Act passes in the House
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act bill on noncitizen voting was passed in the House on Wednesday. The bill is aligned with the anti-immigrant stances outlined in Project 2025 and the new Republican platform.
It's also directly in line with former President Donald Trump's campaign messaging.
"Republicans must pass the Save Act, or go home and cry yourself to sleep," Trump posted on social media this week.
Not only does the bill stigmatize a whole group of people, it would create headaches for potential voters across the country by requiring proof of U.S. citizenship, like passports and birth certificates, when registering to vote.
MAGA governor? North Carolina is on the verge of getting a MAGA governor. Why do we let this happen?
While the bill passed 221-198, it still has to go to the Senate before it goes to the White House. The Biden administration has said that it opposes the legislation.
Unfortunately, that won't stop what's happening in North Carolina and other states.
Noncitizen voting is largely a nonissue
It’s a pretty well-known fact that noncitizens are unable to vote in our elections. You can’t even register to vote if you are not a U.S. citizen – it asks as much on voter registration forms.
The North Carolina Constitution already says it, declaring that “every person born in the United States and every person who has been naturalized, 18 years of age, and possessing the qualifications set out in this Article, shall be entitled to vote at any election by the people of the State, except as herein otherwise provided.”
The reality is that noncitizen voting is pretty rare.
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One dataset that Republicans have typically touted – that more than 6% of votes are cast by noncitizens – is flawed. Researchers have said as much.
North Carolina audited its 2016 election results and found that out of 4.8 million votes cast, there were just 41 instances of legal immigrants – people who were most likely waiting to become naturalized citizens – voting fraudulently. That's probably because people don't think voting is worth the risk of being deported or going to jail.
So why rewrite the law? Because it’s how you juice voter turnout – and keep your political enemies disenfranchised.
North Carolina has bigger issues
The new version of the North Carolina Constitution, which will be voted on in November, changes "every person born in the United States" to “only a citizen of the United States” – i.e., people who were born here or are naturalized citizens.
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This is the same state whose constitution still includes language about only recognizing unions between “one man and one woman.” It’s the same state that mandates abstinence should be taught in sex education. Those things may be worth fixing before the state moves to adjust language that pretty clearly serves its intended purpose. But maybe causing fear in your base is better for votes?
If the Republicans are really worried about wording, they should talk to gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, who recently said that some people “need killing.” Or their candidate for state superintendent, Michele Morrow, who attended the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and calls public schools “indoctrination centers.”
It’s clear that the state Republican Party is struggling to give voters reasons to show up. Republicans already have a supermajority in both legislative chambers and a majority on the state Supreme Court.
Trump won North Carolina in 2016 and 2020 and is poised to win in November if various polls are to be believed. Aside from Republicans' track record, the state’s economy is one of the best in the country – it’s not like they can use that to turn out their base.
Instead, they'd rather demonize a marginalized group of people and stoke fear.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Noncitizen voting is non-issue. North Carolina bought into GOP lies
