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U.S. Senators Katie Britt, R-Alabama, Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, and Bill Hagerty, R-Tennessee, wrote a letter last week to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. The letter was signed by Alabama Representatives Gary Palmer and Barry Moore and 62 other members of Congress.
The group voiced concerns about the Department of Justice’s approach to monitoring and punishing non-citizens that they fear are registering to vote in federal elections.
The senators and representatives continue to criticize the DOJ for not taking action or producing numbers for them.
In a letter to Garland, the senators expressed their alarm over reports of non-citizen participation in elections, stressing the urgency given the upcoming presidential election in less than a month.
They pointed out that the DOJ avoided responding to their previous inquiry in July, updating them on the enforcement efforts related to non-citizen voting.
The letter reiterates that non-citizen voting undermines electoral integrity and public trust. The group requested detailed information regarding their requests from the DOJ by Oct. 16, including statistics on prosecutions under sections 18 U.S.C. § 911, 52 U.S.C. § 20511 or 18 U.S.C. § 611 since Jan. 20, 2021.
Additionally, they requested clarity on how the DOJ investigates allegations of non-citizen voting and the measures taken to prevent non-citizens from voting, as well as the actions of U.S. Attorneys and relevant divisions within the DOJ.
“Clearly, there is a non-negligible amount of voter participation by non-citizens in federal elections, which is not only a serious threat to the integrity of our elections and the democratic process they represent, but also has the potential to reduce Americans’ trust and confidence in election results,” that letter states.
A 1996 U.S. law makes it illegal for noncitizens to vote in elections for president or members of Congress. Violators can be fined and imprisoned for up to a year. They can also be deported.
Data shows that non-citizens voting in federal elections is rare. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen recently announced that 3,251 people previously identified as noncitizens by the federal government are being switched to inactive status on the state’s voter registration rolls. Alabama has more than 3 million registered voters.
