The House of Representatives took what many would have previously considered a redundant step, and banned voting for non-citizens, as The Hill reported.
The bill, which passed the House by a vote of 221-198, was shockingly controversial, considering it is already legal for non-citizens to vote.
On Wednesday, a bill that has been advocated for by former President Trump was approved by a small number of Democrats and House Republicans.
The bill aims to impose voter register purge requirements on states and expand the proof-of-citizenship requirements for eligibility to vote in federal elections.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which is the formal name of the legislation, was approved, with five Democrats voting in favor.
It is now on its way to the Senate, where it is almost certain to be disregarded due to Democratic opposition.
President Joe Biden has promised that if the bill should reach his desk, he will veto it, giving every indication that he supports a lack of election security.
The bill's opponents contend that its fundamental concept, which is to declare noncitizen voting as unlawful, is redundant.
They also contend that its provisions are more likely to result in the denial of the right to vote to U.S. citizens than in the prevention of votes by foreign nationals.
On Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) argued on the House floor that the legislation is essential due to the fact that noncitizens have voted in U.S. elections despite the fact that it is unlawful to do so.
“Even though it’s already illegal, this is happening,” Johnson said.
In May, Johnson told reporters, “We all know, intuitively, that a lot of illegals are voting in federal elections. But it’s not been something that is easily provable. We don’t have that number.
“This legislation will allow us to do exactly that — it will prevent that from happening. And if someone tries to do it, it will now be unlawful within the states,” he added.
During a joint press conference with Trump in April, when the Speaker was attempting to rally GOP support in the face of a tiny group of Republican lawmakers threatening to remove him from office, the idea of a law preventing noncitizens from voting in U.S. elections was embraced by the Speaker.
The former president was vocal in pushing GOP lawmakers to approve the legislation in a Truth Social post, writing: “Republicans must pass the Save Act, or go home and cry yourself to sleep.”
