A handful of House Republicans are hoping to attach the new SAVE act to the upcoming continuing resolution to be passed September 30. The act would mandate all states to ensure that only U.S. citizens vote in the November elections. There is already such a law on the books, but because there is a lack of enforcement, there is little confidence that it will be followed. So why would anyone follow the new SAVE act? Mitch McConnell has already said he -- and about 17 of his RINO cronies -- are opposed to the SAVE act. 

So where does that leave us? Let's look at Florida.

Earlier this year, Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 1718, the strongest anti-illegal immigration legislation in the country. Among other provisions to combat Biden’s Border Crisis, the bill prohibits the issuance of a driver’s license to anyone who does not provide proof of lawful presence in the U.S. and specifies that out-of-state driver’s licenses issued exclusively to illegal aliens are invalid in Florida.

Someone who is in our country illegally and has violated our laws should not possess a government-issued ID which allows them access to state-funded services and other privileges afforded to lawful residents. 

But it appears that the Florida DMV is processing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants between 6 am and 8 a.m. before the DMV offices officially open. If driver’s licenses are the best voter ID in Florida, does this mean all these people will be able to vote despite SB 1718?

With the Biden-Harris push to get illegal and undocumented immigrants to vote, Florida law -- and undoubtedly laws in other red states -- are being purposely violated.

How can this illegal voting be stopped? By governors imposing their emergency powers to do it. According to the National Governors Association, “Gubernatorial emergency powers, generally activated through the implementation of a state declaration of emergency or disaster, provide governors avenues to enhance capabilities, coordination, and collaboration across state and local agencies.”

The document continues, “They also give states flexibility to respond to exigent circumstances, including the reallocation of state and federal funds. Further, emergency declarations allow Governors to temporarily modify their state’s statutory, regulatory, and legal framework to respond to the changing nature of an emergency more quickly.”

If Governor DeSantis cannot enforce the laws he has signed, perhaps he should consider using his emergency powers to limit illegal voting in the upcoming 2024 elections. Other governors have a duty to their citizens to do the same

This improper issuing of driver’s licenses to illegals to jeopardize our sacred right of citizen-only voting is purposely occurring out of official DMV office hours. Is this happening in other states as well, bypassing state law?

Many states claim to have a handle on this situation either because their ballots instruct the voter to declare whether or not he or she is a U.S. Citizen. Some, like Georgia just announced, a sign at the polling locations will read “No non-U.S. Citizen can vote.” Do these states actually believe these simple tactics will work?

The Republican National Committee recently sent a letter to Colorado explaining ways the state could keep illegals migrants and non-citizens from voting this November.

• The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offers the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program which aids federal, state, and local governments in verifying immigration or citizenship status.

• State or local government agencies can enter a memorandum of agreement with USCIS to obtain access to the SAVE database. Running a query requires an individual’s first name, last name, date of birth, and a numeric identifier from a U.S. government issued immigration document.

• The SSA (Social Security Administration) maintains databases that contain citizen-identifying records.
• Naphsis is a nonprofit organization that provides access to vital records such as birth, death, and marriage certificates. 

• State and Federal courts often maintain records of disqualification from jury duty due to lack of U.S. citizenship.

• The Motor Vehicle Bureaus/Departments state databases containing the driver’s license contain evidence of citizenship.

Florida uses the SAVE Program, but does not use several other ways databases listed above. The state also compares voter lists with DMV records so why are illegal immigrants being processed out-of-hours?

In 2022, Florida attempted to put the following imitative on the ballot:

• A U.S. citizen eligible to vote in Florida shall be registered to vote or have their existing registration updated by submitting an application for a new, renewed, updated, or replacement Florida driver’s license or ID card, unless they check a box to opt out of voter registration. The person shall not be required to select registration in order to be registered to vote or update registration. This amendment does not change voting eligibility requirements.

The requirement for placing the initiative on the ballot was nearly 900,000 signatures. But the measure was withdrawn on September 21, 2021 with only 73 valid signatures. This would indicate that the vast majority of Floridians do not want automatic registration with the issuance of driver’s licenses.

Democrat governors, who understand the need for non-citizens to vote in November, will not take such steps to stop illegal voting. However, there is no excuse for a true Republican governor not to take such action.

But it will take prodding. Pressure your governor to take such action now.

Image: Eric Hersman