Recognizing That Allowing Illegal Immigrants the Right to Vote Diminishes the Voting Power of United States Citizens

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1077, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 1071) recognizing that allowing illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and diminishes the voting power of United States citizens, and ask for its immediate consideration.

The Clerk read the title of the resolution.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. GOODLATTE. Res. 1071.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. GOODLATTE.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, which expresses the official position of the United States House of Representatives regarding the sanctity of the vote in our Federal system.

The authors of America's founding documents extolled the necessity of voting to a free society. Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, believed that ``should things go wrong at any time, the people will set them to rights by the peaceable exercise of their elective rights.''

Jefferson also believed that ``the elective franchise, if guarded as the ark of our safety, will peaceably dissipate all combinations to subvert a constitution dictated by the wisdom, and resting on the will of the people.''

James Madison, the principal author of the Constitution and contributor to the Federalist Papers said at the Constitutional Convention that he ``considered the popular election of one branch of the national legislature as essential to every plan of free government,'' and ``that the great fabric to be raised would be more stable and durable, if it should rest on the solid foundation of the people themselves.''

Madison continued that: ``Under every view of the subject, it seems indispensable that the mass of citizens should not be without a voice in making the laws which they are to obey, and in choosing the magistrates who are to administer them.''

Alexander Hamilton, another contributor to the Federalist Papers, wrote that: ``A share in the sovereignty of the state, which is exercised by the citizens at large, in voting at elections is one of the most important rights of the subject, and in a republic ought to stand foremost in the estimation of the law.''

John Jay, the third and final contributor to the Federalist Papers believed: ``The Americans are the first people whom Heaven has favored with an opportunity of deliberating upon and choosing the forms of government under which they should live.''

The Constitution prohibits discrimination in voting based on race, sex, poll taxes, and age. The sanctity of the vote is also part of the Supreme Court's jurisprudence on the subject.

In the landmark case of Reynolds v. Sims, the Supreme Court stated: ``The right of suffrage can be denied by a debasement or dilution of a weight of a citizen's vote just as effectively as by wholly prohibiting the free exercise of the franchise.''

Voting is fundamental to a functioning democracy, and it is of paramount importance that the United States maintain the legitimacy of its elections and protect them from undue interference, including foreign threats and illegal voting.

While the Constitution allows States and localities to grant noncitizens the right to vote in non-Federal elections, citizenship today denotes an association with America which uniquely encourages voting in furtherance of the well-being of other Americans and the sovereign nation to which they owe their allegiance.

Consequently, it is very concerning to me that some localities have extended to noncitizens the right to vote in certain non-Federal elections, including school board elections.

Extending voting rights to those who are not lawfully present in the United States acts as another incentive for foreign nationals to come to the United States illegally and stay. Instead of helping deter illegal behavior, jurisdictions such as San Francisco continue to implement policies that encourage such behavior. They do so to the detriment of U.S. citizens and legal immigrants alike.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader for introducing this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. Speaker, this is a very straightforward resolution that every Member of this House can and should vote for. It simply says: ``Resolved, that the House of Representatives recognizes that allowing illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and diminishes the voting power of United States citizens.''

When a United States citizen registers and votes, they expect their vote to be a full vote that counts. When someone who is not lawfully present in the United States is allowed to go into a polling place and vote, they dilute the votes of the United States citizens who are voting in that same election.

Why not recognize that? Why not discourage that? Why not call it exactly what it is? The House of Representatives recognizes that allowing illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and diminishes the voting power of United States citizens. It is a very straightforward resolution. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source