Oddly enough, I agree with the Republicans on this one: you should be a citizen in order to vote.
But you already have to be a citizen in order to vote. They’re arguing you need to prove citizenship to register to vote.
Registering to vote shouldn’t be like applying for a passport. Declaring you are a citizen and facing criminal charges if you lie about it ought to be sufficient, especially given that we do not have any systemic issues with non-citizens voting.
But of course, Republicans want their base to believe we have systemic issues with non-citizens voting, despite investigation after investigation finding this isn’t the case. Turns out there’s no good reason to potentially get yourself imprisoned or deported just to cast a ballot, and non-citizens aren’t idiots.
Republicans want to make voting less accessible, because the more disadvantaged a person is the less likely they are to have the time and capacity to bring proof of citizenship to an office to register to vote, rather than just doing it online (as many states will let you do). And limiting voting access is always a winning strategy for conservatives.
But you already have to be a citizen in order to vote. They’re arguing you need to prove citizenship to register to vote.
Registering to vote shouldn’t be like applying for a passport. Declaring you are a citizen and facing criminal charges if you lie about it ought to be sufficient, especially given that we do not have any systemic issues with non-citizens voting.
But of course, Republicans want their base to believe we have systemic issues with non-citizens voting, despite investigation after investigation finding this isn’t the case. Turns out there’s no good reason to potentially get yourself imprisoned or deported just to cast a ballot, and non-citizens aren’t idiots.
Republicans want to make voting less accessible, because the more disadvantaged a person is the less likely they are to have the time and capacity to bring proof of citizenship to an office to register to vote, rather than just doing it online (as many states will let you do). And limiting voting access is always a winning strategy for conservatives.