U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) joined 63 of his Republican colleagues in questioning the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) about what efforts it has taken to enforce federal law prohibiting non-citizens from voting in U.S. elections.
In a July 12 letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the congressional members noted that state officials have reported instances of non-citizens registering to vote in elections or being prompted to do so.
For example, the governor of South Carolina recently called for an investigation into voter registration forms allegedly being given to non-citizens, while the Georgia Secretary of State in 2022 found that more than 1,600 non-citizens had attempted to register to vote in that state, according to their letter.
“These reports are especially concerning given the record-shattering number of illegal aliens entering the United States and certain state and local laws that permit aliens to vote in local elections,” the lawmakers wrote.
They noted that federal law prohibits aliens from voting or registering to vote in federal elections, while another federal law makes it unlawful to fraudulently register or vote, and they pointed out that there appear to have been few prosecutions by the DOJ under these laws.
Among the lawmakers who joined Sen. Rounds in signing the letter were U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Hoeven (R-ND) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), along with 41 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
They requested information be provided to them by July 26 on the number of non-citizens attempting to vote who have been charged, tried or convicted, as well as additional information on the DOJ’s protocols regarding non-citizens attempting to vote, among numerous other items.
“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,” wrote the lawmakers.