Texas Democratic legislators blocked a constitutional amendment that would require citizenship to vote in elections from passing Congress and appearing on November ballots.
A group of over 50 Texas Democratic congressmen voted “Present” in late May for Texas interdiction Senate Joint Resolution 35 from leaving the room. After the bill passed the Texas Senate with near-unanimous support, a handful of Democrats joined the more than 80 Republicans who backed it. (Related: Texas House votes to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton)
54 Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives just voted “yes” to a constitutional amendment that would require American citizens to vote in Texas elections. The bill failed because it needed 100 out of 150 votes. Opening borders is a long-term strategy. #txlege ＃border pic.twitter.com/R7jVOrokhF
— Matt Schaefer (@RepMattSchaefer) May 24, 2023
“Democrats say they don’t support non-national votes, but they are given the opportunity to vote to enshrine that policy in the constitution,” said Chris Arps. president The percentage of Americans in favor of a citizens-only vote told the Daily Caller. “Democrats are playing a game.”
Texas Rep. Matt Schaefer said it would take 100 out of 150 votes for the constitutional amendment to pass the House and be reflected in the November 2023 ballot that will decide whether Texas voters should adopt it. need to get.situation Constitution It currently bans people under the age of 18, convicted felons and mentally incompetent people from voting.
Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in national elections, but it does not apply to state or local elections. voting pedia.In addition to Washington, D.C., seven states have stipulated that noncitizens are not allowed to vote in state and local elections, and three states allow noncitizens to vote.
America House passes joint resolution In February, it disapproved of a new Washington, D.C. law giving noncitizens the right to vote, but 42 Democrats, including Democratic Texas Rep. Colin Allred, Vicente Gonzalez, and Henry Queller, voted in favor. rice field.
The Texas constitution does not explicitly limit voting to citizens, and cities with populations over 5,000 could adopt self-government charters to allow noncitizens to vote in elections, Arps explained.
“Any city with a population greater than 5,000 may adopt a Home Rule Charter. It is not clear whether the provision that “a resident shall be considered a qualified voter” would be considered a violation of the Texas Constitution. There are voting rights to limit who can vote or decide who can vote,” he added.
Republican Texas Senator Brian Bardwell introduced The January amendment would add “non-U.S. citizens” to the list of groups constitutionally restricted from voting. Republicans may revisit the issue in a special congressional session to overcome Democrats’ legislative hurdles. (Related: Texas legislators join special legislative session on after-school options bill; CRT ban bill fails)
“The value in using state law to ban illegal immigrants from legally voting is to create laws that can be enforced. District attorneys in the department don’t care about voter fraud and refuse to prosecute it,” Matt McCowiak, a Texas-based Republican consultant, told The Daily Caller.
“It’s hard to find legitimacy against efforts to stop illegal immigrants from voting. Democrats must want illegal immigrants to vote. This is not a hypothesis, and in some jurisdictions, including New York City, illegal immigrants can legally vote in local elections.I hope this will be included in a special session on a wide range of issues,” he continued. .
The third reading today gave the same result. The Texas Democrats are showing their true nature today by rejecting the 100-vote threshold required for this bill. Illegal voting is the future they want! #txlege https://t.co/RnlKWpyjb6
— Chad Shoemake (@chadshoemake) May 24, 2023
“Texas Democrats are showing their true colors today by meeting the required 100 votes threshold and rejecting this measure. Illegal voting is the future they want!” tweeted After Democrats rejected the amendment in the third reading.
During the first two years of the Biden administration, record amounts of illegal immigrants flowed into the United States across the southern border. 2022 ended with a record 2.3 million migrants encountering border officials and a further 600,000 fleeing border guards.
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott dispatched a wildly moving bus 19,000 Migrants to Democratic-run sanctuary cities to ease the surge in illegal immigration affecting border towns in the state. Sanctuary Cities denounced the impact of Abbott’s bus policy on black residents and demanded Abbott abolish transportation.
Many Republican governors have sent the National Guard to the southern border to help Texas secure its border with Mexico. In May, President Joe Biden issued an executive order sending 1,500 troops to the southern border to help with administrative tasks ahead of the expiration of the “Title 42” emergency power used to deport immigrants during the Trump administration. .
