Immigration (Elections)

This House resolution reaffirms the chamber's commitment to defending the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments by opposing actions perceived as voter intimidation or suppression. It specifically condemns the deployment of armed federal agents or immigration enforcement personnel near polling places and calls on the Department of Homeland Security to confirm that such operations will not occur during the 2026 elections. The bill also opposes the creation of a national database of confidential voter registration information and rejects legislation requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration. Additionally, it supports restoring federal preclearance protections for voting laws and calls on the Speaker of the House to promptly administer oaths of office to duly elected representatives.

This bill, known as the Trump-Reagan Election Enforcement Act, would require all U.S. states to implement strict new rules proving U.S. citizenship for anyone registering to vote in federal elections. Under the proposed law, states that fail to enforce these specific documentation requirements by fiscal year 2027 would face federal funding penalties, with 10 percent of certain transportation funds withheld initially and an additional 5 percent cut each subsequent year. The legislation mandates that applicants provide specific documents like a passport or certified birth certificate, requires states to actively remove noncitizens from voter rolls, and allows private lawsuits or criminal charges against election officials who register ineligible individuals.

HR 1037, the Voter Eligibility Verification Act of 2025, amends a 1996 federal law to require state election officials to provide immigration status information for individuals on potential voter lists within 15 days when requested by a state Attorney General or Secretary of State. This bill directly affects state election administrators who must now verify voter eligibility using immigration data upon formal request. The key provision establishes a 15-day deadline for states to share this information, creating a new administrative requirement for voter eligibility checks. The bill focuses on modifying existing federal law to facilitate state-level verification processes without changing voter eligibility criteria.

This bill modifies the U.S. census process to count only U.S. citizens for apportioning House seats and electoral votes, requiring census forms to include a citizenship checkbox. It mandates that voters present both government-issued photo ID and proof of U.S. citizenship (like a birth certificate or passport) to vote in person or by mail for federal offices, starting with the 2026 elections. State election officials must verify citizenship for provisional ballots to count them. The law affects all voters in federal elections and state election administrators, replacing current voter ID requirements with these new citizenship and photo ID standards.

HR 58, titled the "Voter Integrity Protection Act," amends U.S. immigration law to make certain voting violations by undocumented immigrants a basis for deportation. It adds "knowingly committing a violation of 18 U.S.C. §611" (which prohibits voting fraud by non-citizens) to the list of deportable offenses under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Specifically, it targets non-citizens unlawfully present in the U.S. who commit voting fraud, making such acts grounds for removal. The bill directly affects undocumented immigrants who commit voting violations, linking immigration enforcement to federal voting fraud statutes. It does not alter voting eligibility or election procedures for citizens.