Sioux Empire Today

U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson of South Dakota has cast his vote in favor of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a legislative move designed to limit voting in federal elections strictly to U.S. citizens. The bill aims to reinforce the security of American elections by requiring proof of citizenship during the voter registration process.

Representative Johnson remarked, "The requirement to be a U.S. citizen to vote in U.S. elections is commonsense. The SAVE Act strengthens election security by ensuring those who are not U.S. citizens do not have the opportunity to sway our federal elections."

The SAVE Act has been on Johnson’s agenda in previous Congressional sessions, gaining support following a review and adjustment of voter rolls in several states. This review led to the removal of noncitizen voters across various states: South Dakota identified and removed 273 noncitizen voters, Virginia removed 1,600, Alabama identified 3,251, and Texas removed more than 6,500.

The key features of the SAVE Act include a directive for individuals to present citizenship proof in person when registering for federal elections. It also demands that states expunge noncitizens from voter registries by using existing federal databases. Furthermore, the act introduces penalties for officials involved in the registration of noncitizens to vote in federal elections.