During Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Hearing on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, a noticeable trend among Democrat witnesses emerged, establishing the true motivation behind the legislation. Led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), questioning from the minority members revealed that not a single Democrat witness would affirm that only U.S. citizens should vote in federal elections.
The testimony revealed a disturbing trend among some circles to dilute the sanctity of American elections by potentially allowing non-citizens to vote. Damon T. Hewitt from The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law evaded a straightforward answer by highlighting current laws without taking a stand on whether those laws are just. Similarly, Lydia Camarillo from the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project dodged the question by referring to state laws without acknowledging the federal stakes involved.
Not A Single Democrat Witness In Congress Agreed Only Citizens Should Vote In Federal Elections https://t.co/tFye4nzdru
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) March 13, 2024
The only clarity came from Republican witnesses Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX), Maureen Riordan and Hans von Spakovsky, who firmly believed non-citizens should not vote in U.S. elections.
Moreover, the hearing exposed a broader issue within the Democrat agenda: a push toward federalizing elections. The John Lewis Voting Rights Act would transfer substantial control from state and local jurisdictions to a federal level, micromanaged by unelected bureaucrats and lawyers in the Department of Justice. That would undermine state sovereignty and individual rights, centralizing power in a way that would be virtually certain not to reflect local communities’ diverse needs and perspectives.
Historically, states have held the right to regulate their electoral processes, a principle upheld by the Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision. This ruling emphasized the outdated nature of previous federal interventions and acknowledged voter registration and turnout improvements among minorities. Yet, despite these advancements, the current push for the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, pretends those successes never occurred.
The pending legislation would enable the federal government to override local election laws to combat discrimination. That overreach will inevitably target voter ID laws, a common-sense measure to ensure the integrity of votes. The Department of Justice has been notably aggressive in challenging these laws, aligning with groups that seek to loosen voting safeguards.
The narrative surrounding these legislative efforts paints a troubling picture of the Democrats’ approach to election integrity. While they claim to champion the rights of minority voters, the proposed changes would dilute the voting power of legitimate citizens and undermine public confidence in election outcomes.
