Eight members of the Tennessee congressional delegation were among a group of congressional Republicans who sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland seeking information on how the Department of Justice (DOJ) will work to prevent illegal aliens from voting in federal elections.
The letter, dated July 12, was sent just days after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which “seeks to ensure that only U.S. citizens participate in federal elections by requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration.”
The bill would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require proof of citizenship to register an individual to vote in federal elections.
Despite the House’s passage of the bill, the White House formally announced that President Joe Biden would veto the legislation if it passed the U.S. Senate and was sent to his desk.
In light of the Biden administration’s stance against the bill, Tennessee U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), U.S. Representatives Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01), Tim Burchett (R-TN-02), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), John Rose (R-TN-06), David Kustoff (R-TN-08), and 56 other congressional Republicans sent the letter to Garland requesting answers to nine questions regarding the steps the DOJ has taken to prosecute non-citizens for illegally voting or registering to vote in federal elections,
“As you are likely aware, the United States has experienced a record number of border encounters since President Biden took office—nearly 10 million—many of whom have been released into, or evaded apprehension while entering, the U.S. We’re writing to inquire regarding the efforts undertaken by your Department to enforce the law that prohibits non-citizens from voting in our elections,” the lawmakers wrote to Garland.
“Plainly, there are opportunities for and instances of non-citizen voter registration, and so the critical question is whether the laws against doing so are being enforced by your Department,” the lawmakers added. “There appear to have been few prosecutions by your Department under these laws, and there is no indication that you have been pursuing cases in places like Georgia and Ohio where aliens have been caught registering or voting.”
The Republican lawmakers requested answers from Garland by July 26.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
