Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen is sounding the alarm over federal policies enacted by President Biden that he says give illegal immigrants and noncitizens a “mechanism” to register to vote.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Allen pointed to Executive Order 14019, which was issued in 2021, arguing that the Biden administration's broad interpretation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 “weaponizes and “It mobilizes the entire apparatus of the federal government to become a weapon.” voter registration agencies.”
The clerk said his office began investigating the matter after receiving a complaint from a concerned voter who received a voter registration form in the mail from an Alabama state agency addressed to a deceased relative who had died two years ago. Upon further investigation, Allen said his office discovered that state agencies, including Medicaid and other welfare offices that receive funding from the federal government, are required to provide voter registration forms to anyone who comes into contact with that agency under the NVRA.
That includes illegal immigrants and noncitizens, Allen said, arguing that the 2021 executive order came without tools to verify that forms are sent only to U.S. citizens.
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Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen testifies during a hearing before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee in Washington, DC, on March 12. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
These people receive information about voter registration regardless of whether they are ultimately approved to receive the public benefits they applied for, he said.
“And that's why it's vitally important that the federal government and Congress reform the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and then allow states to conduct their own voter registration, taking it out of the hands of the federal government,” he said. Allen. “It's through state agencies that are federally funded and, of course, required by federal law, which is the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. And it doesn't matter how they come into contact through the mail, in person or through Online, if they apply for these public benefits, if they contact that agency, they receive the voter registration form And that is very, very concerning that non-citizens, whether legal or illegal immigrants, are receiving that. voter registration forms.”
“Only American citizens should be able to vote in our elections. And I firmly believe that the people of Alabama believe that only American citizens should be able to vote in our elections. And that's something I'm not going to back down from,” Allen said. “Something we can't back down from. And it's something we have to stay strong on and continue to advocate for these reforms. Again, for the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, sensible reforms. And that's why We have to put President Trump back in the White House. That's why we have to have strong Republican majorities in the United States Senate and strong Republican majorities in the United States House of Representatives to make sure that we can reform the United States. “NVRA to put some protections in there to verify citizenship. It's imperative, going forward, that we do that.”
The White House introduced Executive Order 14019 as a way to protect “the right to vote of all Americans who have the legal right to participate in elections,” including Black voters or other voters of color.
At the time, the Biden administration assessed that the order was part of the federal government's responsibility “to expand access to and education about voter registration and election information, and combat misinformation, in order to enable all Americans eligible people can participate in our democracy.”
In March, Allen testified before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee about the limited tools available to state election officials to ensure that only American citizens register to vote or vote in elections.
At the hearing, he testified how in December his office had asked U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for a list of noncitizens so it could match voter records in Alabama. But the federal government denied that request and instead ordered the Alabama secretary of state's office to use the Systematic Alien Verification Entitlements (SAVE) program to verify citizenship.
President Biden hosts an event to mark the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program at the White House in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, the same day he issued a sweeping new immigration executive order. (Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
However, SAVE explicitly states that it should not be used to verify citizenship for voter registration purposes, Allen testified.
“The federal government and federal courts have blocked previous efforts by states to verify citizenship and I believe it is more important now than ever, especially given what is happening at our southern border,” Allen told the committee.
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Speaking with Fox News Digital on Monday, Allen advocated for two laws at the federal level. First, she supported the Citizen Voting Protection Act, which was first introduced by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, in December and sponsored in the House by Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Alabama. The proposal would allow a state to include as part of the mail-in voter registration form a requirement that applicants submit proof of citizenship.
Second, Allen also praised the Protecting American Voters' Eligibility (SAVE) Act, introduced last month by Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah. That legislation would require states to obtain proof of citizenship (in person) when registering an individual to vote and would require states to remove noncitizens from existing voter rolls.
“It's a top priority for other like-minded secretaries of state, Republican secretaries of state, that we're watching this very, very closely and trying to bring to light what's going on and the need to reform the National Registry Act. 1993 voters.” Allen told Fox News Digital.
He said not only other officials but the general public in his state care about election integrity.
“No matter where you travel across the state of Alabama, Alabamians are concerned about elections and the electoral process, and they want fair, secure, transparent and accountable elections. And they want to make sure that when they go to vote, they can have confidence that your vote is being counted correctly and accurately,” he said.
On Tuesday, Allen also denounced a new executive order (EO) issued by President Biden this week that is expected to protect some 500,000 illegal immigrants from deportation. It was widely criticized by Republicans, who argued that the order serves as an election-year ploy by Biden to win over Hispanic and Latino voters by allowing illegal immigrants to remain in the country indefinitely on “parole” while they receive funded benefits. by taxpayers.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen and other election officials from South Carolina, Nebraska and Michigan testify during a hearing before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee in Washington, DC, on March 12. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“Today, Biden issued an executive order to offer mass amnesty to illegal immigrants currently residing in our country,” Allen said in a statement. “Couple this with his previous voter registration EO, and it's clear that Biden is trying to win the next election, not by winning over legitimate American voters, but by trying to legitimize illegal immigrants. He won't stop with this EO. He will “Keep trying to dilute the voting power of legal Americans. Biden and his administration are radical and anarchic.”
When contacted for comment on both executive orders, a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital: “It is illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections. Receiving protection from deportation does not give an individual the right to vote. “.
Alabama state law ensures that paper ballots are used in all elections and that tabulators used on Election Day cannot connect to the Internet.
Allen also praised the state's photo ID law, which requires anyone who shows up to vote to present a valid photo ID.
“We believe these are good, strong statutes to ensure that our elections are robust, secure, transparent and accountable in the state of Alabama,” Allen told Fox News Digital. “And that's why I want the people of this state to understand that it is the top priority of our office, this administration, every day when we come to the state Capitol to make sure elections are strong in our state. And then at the end of “Tonight you'll know who wins and who loses in Alabama.”
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While it is illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections anywhere in the country, several local jurisdictions, including California, Maryland, Vermont, and New York, have enacted laws allowing non-citizens to vote in municipal or municipal elections in the last years. . More than 500 noncitizens registered to vote in the Washington, DC municipal elections that took place earlier this month.
Allen emphasized that no such jurisdiction exists in the state of Alabama. On needed reforms to the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, Allen said the law does not allow states to remove people who have moved out of state from voter rolls in a timely manner. It currently takes four years to complete that process, while Allen argued it should take only two.
