Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s misguided vote in support of the SAVE Act was wrong. Her recent comments to justify her support and her vote for H.R. 22 fall flat but demonstrate that she supports the unfounded opinion and conspiracy theories pushed by MAGA, led by Donald Trump, that noncitizen voting is a threat to our elections.
This thinking is flawed as it is fundamentally not true. As reported by NPR on Nov. 5, 2024, “the Brennan Center for Justice surveyed local election officials in 42 jurisdictions with high immigrant populations and found just 30 cases of suspected noncitizens voting out of 23.5 million votes cast, or 0.0001 percent.”
Our state, like others, makes it clear that noncitizens cannot vote. New registrants for voting must declare, “I am a citizen of the United States.” Paradoxically, Perez verifies our state’s elections are secure, noting, “I’m confident Washington state’s vote-by-mail system is safe, secure and reliable, and will remain so, thanks to the dedicated local public servants who administer our elections.”
So, the question for you and I to consider is, what’s the rationale behind Perez’s support of H.R. 22? The SAVE Act is unnecessary and not supportive of voters’ rights.
