WASHINGTON, DC— Rep. Scott Franklin (FL-18) issued the following statement in response to House Passage of H.R. 8281, the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. The measure passed 221 to 198. 

“Today’s vote was a critical step towards restoring Americans’ confidence in our elections. Sadly, 198 Democrats voted against measures to ensure only U.S. citizens cast ballots in federal elections.

“The Biden Border Crisis has allowed more than 9 million immigrants to cross our border illegally.  This includes nearly 5 million released into the country and the 2 million gotaways who evaded CBP. These illegal aliens now flood our communities, exhausting local resources and collecting benefits on the taxpayer’s dime.  Some sanctuary cities, like New York and DC have even passed far-left laws that allow these illegal aliens to obtain drivers licenses and vote.

“Almost 80% of Americans oppose policies that encourage noncitizen voting, yet President Biden and his progressive counterparts in Congress obstruct efforts like the SAVE Act to keep our elections safe, secure and fair. It can only be surmised from their misdirection and scare tactics they count on benefiting from noncitizen votes in the future.

“The fact remains—the SAVE Act is our only tool to ensure American votes decide American elections. It’s the law of the land in Florida and contributes to the security and integrity of our model election system.  I was pleased this bill passed with bipartisan support, and I remain committed to fighting for election integrity in Congress.”

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