WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Roger Marshall to introduce the Demanding Citizenship in D.C. Elections Act. This legislation would require anyone who votes in a municipal election in the District of Columbia to be a U.S. Citizen, requires proof of citizenship, and is in response to a federal court dismissing a D.C. resident's challenge of the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 that allows noncitizens to vote in the nation's capital. Rep. Timmons (R-SC-04) is leading the companion legislation in the House of Representatives. The court's dismissal of this challenge sets a dangerous precedent and undermines our election integrity. Now, in D.C., anyone who is 18 years old and has lived in the district for 30 days, regardless of whether they are legal citizens, can vote in local district elections for mayor, city council, attorney general, and beyond. Because Washington, D.C. has no state constitution to safeguard electoral processes, it is the duty of Congress to demand proof of citizenship in D.C. municipal elections. 

Senator Rick Scott said, “President Joe Biden has created the worst border security crisis in our nation’s history. His lawlessness is intentional and has incentivized the unlawful crossings at our southern border by more than 11 million illegal aliens, including criminal aliens and suspected terrorists, from all around the world. While some Democrats have been open about wanting to add voters through illegal immigration, we will never allow that to happen in this country. It is unacceptable for anyone who is not a United States citizen to vote in any election, and the Democrat-run District of Columbia is no exception. I am proud to introduce this bill to ensure we have free and fair elections in Washington, D.C. that represent the will of American voters, not illegal aliens.”

Senator Roger Marshall said, “Joe Biden has erased our borders- undermined our national security, and threatened our sovereignty. The Democrats and the DNC's takeover of our elections in Washington, D.C., undermines our Democracy, and they do not even try to hide it. This is election interference by design, with the ultimate goal being the unraveling of our free and fair elections by engineering the largest-scale invasion of our country and turning them out at the ballot box to perpetually 'cook the books' for Democrats.

Senator Marshall continued, “Make no mistake; Joe Biden sees these 11 million illegal aliens now on U.S. soil as Democrat voters. We the people must fight back; too much is at stake. Our Democracy as we know it is under attack by this administration, and while this legislation is a great first step, much more needs to be done.” 

Background: 

Washington, D.C. falls under the jurisdiction of Congress primarily because of the provisions in Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 in the U.S. Constitution. This unique arrangement means that although D.C. has its own local government, Congress has the ultimate authority over its laws and budget.

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