Greenville Leader

Representative William Timmons (SC-04) has introduced H.R. 8218, the Demanding Citizenship in DC Elections Act. This legislation mandates that anyone voting in a municipal election in the District of Columbia must be a U.S. citizen and provide proof of citizenship. The bill is a response to a federal court's dismissal of a D.C. resident’s challenge against the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, which permits noncitizens to vote in the nation’s capital. The legislation is cosponsored by Representatives Pfluger (R-TX), Hageman (R-WY), and Fry (R-SC), and led in the U.S. Senate by Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS).

“Our wide open border has allowed 11 million illegal immigrants into our country,” Rep. William Timmons stated. “Now Democrats want illegal immigrants to vote in local elections in our nation’s capital. This is outrageous. Only U.S. citizens should be able to vote. Period. Any attempts by liberal cities and states to allow those who broke our laws and entered our country illegally to vote must be stopped.”

Senator Marshall echoed these sentiments, saying, “Joe Biden has erased our borders, undermined our national security, and threatened our sovereignty. The Democrats and the DNC’s takeover of our elections in Washington, D.C., undermines our Democracy, and they do not even try to hide it,” He further added that this was "election interference by design" with an ultimate goal of "unraveling of our free and fair elections."

On March 20, a federal court dismissed a challenge from voters against the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 - a law that allows noncitizens to vote in D.C.'s municipal elections while it remains effective. All residents over 18 who have lived in the district for 30 days can vote in district elections for mayor, city council, attorney general, and advisory neighborhood commissioners, among other offices and DC proposals, regardless of their legal status.

Critics argue that this law violates the 5th Amendment to the Constitution and threatens the integrity of democratic processes in the nation's capital. Similar attempts to grant noncitizens voting rights have been unsuccessful as appeals courts found these provisions to violate state constitutions. Since Washington, D.C. lacks a state constitution to protect electoral processes, critics argue it is Congress's duty to demand proof of citizenship in D.C. municipal elections.