Letter: One illegal vote is too many

Why is it that our Democratic leaders and wannabe leaders are opposed to a bill that will reestablish faith and trust in our election process?

Do non-citizens vote in our elections? Yes, some do. Is it a large enough number to sway an election? It only takes one vote to change the outcome of any election. Are there places in the United States where non-citizens can legally vote in our elections? Yes, there are, but only on a State or local level.

Will one’s driver’s license be enough to allow one to vote? Yes, it will. The only time one needs to prove one’s citizenship is when one registers to vote. One has to present a birth certificate to prove one’s age, to get a driver’s license or even a marriage license. Women have, for decades, gotten married, or divorced, and have had to change their names on their licenses and voter registration. None have had a problem. Many of us have moved, and have had to change our addresses. Why is it now an issue?

What is wrong with a requirement that state election officials must run their voter registration lists through a DHS database to identify non-citizens? If it’s because one feels the DHS database is not reliable; then, what makes one think the state and local databases are any better? It’s been shown, repeatedly, that states do not update or purge their voter rolls with any regularity. Is this important? Yes, it is. We live in an age of rampant identity theft.

Changing/making voting laws is not new, nor is it the province of the Republicans. In 2020, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats wanted to change voting laws and make them national. In addition to lowering the voting age to 16, they also wanted online voting, vote by mail, they fought voter-registration purges, ID requirements and rules regarding signature-matching and ballot order.

The SAVE Act should be a non-partisan issue, but it’s not. Every one of us should want election integrity, but it seems some of us don’t. Voting is so important that anything that will ensure only American citizens can be non-partisan. 

Everyone, regardless of party, should support any law that restores confidence in our elections and ensures that only American citizens are allowed to vote. Anything less is an invitation to anarchy.

Jim Arvin
Rutherford Township
Martin County