U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer offers bill allowing states to require citizenship proof for voter registration

U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) has announced the introduction of a bill that would allow states to require proof of citizenship during the voter registration process.

The congressman’s “Citizen Ballot Protection Act” would authorize states to ensure a voter applicant holds United States citizenship by amending the National Voter Registration Act.

Following the introduction of his bill, Palmer issued a statement asserting that it was “common sense” to enable states to require individuals to be a citizen prior to registering them to vote.

According to the congressman, allowing states to require proof of citizenship would help in restoring confidence in the electoral process.

“Restoring faith in the ability to conduct free and fair elections in this country begins with cleaning up voter rolls and requiring proof of citizenship to prevent illegally cast ballots from swaying elections,” outlined Palmer. “Americans deserve to know their elections are secure. It is common sense that states should be able to require proof of citizenship to ensure only citizens are voting in their elections.”

Palmer cited the need for his legislation given a 2013 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the case of Arizona’s Proposition 200, which determined that states could not require documentation beyond what federal law mandated.

“Unfortunately, a 2013 Supreme Court ruling prevents states from requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections,” added the congressman. “This bill will fix the problem by amending the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to give states the ability to verify the citizenship status of their voters when they register.”