House Democrats Overwhelmingly Reject Motion to Condemn Illegal Immigrant Voting
The motion was voted down 228-197 as the majority of Democrats in the House voted against
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Almost all House Democrats opposed a measure condemning illegal immigrants voting in the U.S. elections, as part of a sweeping election reform bill, according to reports.
The measure, which was backed by GOP, would have added language to the “H.R. 1” election proposal declaring that “allowing illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and diminishes the voting power of United States citizens.”
The federal law already prohibits Non-US citizens from casting votes in elections for federal office.
But according to the GOP motion, San Francisco is allowing illegal immigrants to register to vote in school board elections.
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The motion was voted down 228-197 as the majority of Democrats in the House voted against it.
Only one Republican opposed it.
A spokeswoman for House GOP Whip Steve Scalise, Lauren Fine, highlighted that an identical resolution was adopted by the House last September.
But 41 Democrats opposed the latest measure on Friday.
“These 41 Democrats must now answer to voters why they were against illegal immigrants voting in elections six months ago, but are suddenly in favor of it now,” Fine said.
According to Fox News: The House on Friday later approved the Democrat-backed election bill.
It would institute public financing of congressional campaigns, require presidential candidates to disclose tax returns and make Election Day a federal holiday.
President Donald #Trump has branded the Democrats of being the “anti-Jewish party” amid the House passing a broad resolution that failed to name Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn for her alleged anti-Semitic remarks.
— Neon Nettle (@NeonNettle) March 8, 2019
https://t.co/XXqpRSFwgh #Antisemitism
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But the measure is dead on arrival in the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has blasted the bill.
The "H.R. 1" measure has been criticized by civil libertarians and Republicans over First Amendment concerns.
The American Civil Liberties Union, in a recent letter to Congress, prompted lawmakers to vote against the proposal because of “provisions that unconstitutionally impinge on the free speech rights of American citizens and public interest organizations.”
“They will have the effect of harming our public discourse by silencing necessary voices that would otherwise speak out about the public issues of the day,” the ACLU wrote.
One concern of civil libertarians is the bill’s inclusion of the DISCLOSE ACT, which would require all organizations that spend money on elections to disclose donors.
The ACLU said it encourages making organizations record spending for public communications like TV ads that expressly call for the election or defeat of a candidate for office.
But it worries the DISCLOSE ACT goes beyond that.
“These standards are unclear and entirely subjective, which will lead to confusion and, ultimately, less speech,” the ACLU said.
Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi claimed migrants “make America more American,” and we should not be “suppressing the vote of our newcomers.”
Pelosi declared that immigrants entering the US should be accredited with adding to the "constant reinvigoration" of American families while speaking at a news conference on voting rights with Rep. Lloyd Dogget (D-TX) in Austin, Texas on Tuesday.
