OPINION:
Americans deserve free and fair elections. For most, that means a voting system of, by, and for American citizens, free of foreign interference.
But in today’s world of increasingly extreme progressive politics, that commonsense principle is under attack. Even as liberals rail against foreign influence in elections, progressive groups are cashing in on at least $500 million in funds from a secretive foreign billionaire named Hansjorg Wyss.
Meanwhile, liberal activists across the country are working hard to normalize noncitizen voting, to astounding effect. In the last two years, New York City and the District of Columbia have passed laws to enfranchise anyone living within their borders. New York’s law remains bottled up in court, but in our nation’s capital, officials are elected with the votes of illegal immigrants and embassy staff working for Russia and China.
Two bills recently introduced in Congress aim to push back against the liberal embrace of foreign influence and noncitizen voting. The first, from Sen. Bill Hagerty, takes aim at the legal loopholes that let foreign billionaires funnel enormous sums to influence U.S. elections. The second, Rep. Chip Roy and House Speaker Mike Johnson’s SAVE Act, makes it harder for foreign nationals to register and vote in federal races.
Cue the liberal outrage. The SAVE Act aims to require that people provide proof of citizenship when they sign up to vote in federal races. Pundits and politicians quickly slammed the measure as “voter suppression” and labeled it unnecessary, since it is already illegal to vote in federal elections.
That’s true, but believe it or not, courts have interpreted federal law to make it illegal for states to require proof of citizenship before they sign someone up to vote in federal races. That’s the result of left-wing litigation intended to tie states’ hands. Now, the only safeguard that stands between a noncitizen and the voter rolls is a checkbox asking whether he or she is a citizen.
When it comes to verifying citizenship, the honor system doesn’t cut it. The fact is, noncitizens can and do become registered to vote. In 2018, the Justice Department brought federal charges against 19 noncitizens who had registered and voted as recently as 2016.
Sometimes these illegal registrations are the result of deliberate fraud. Other times, noncitizens unwittingly register and vote, or are even misled into believing they can cast ballots. If they do, they are subject to criminal penalties and deportation. The problem is even more acute in places like the District that affirmatively permit noncitizens to vote in local races. If they accidentally vote in a federal race, they are in for a world of trouble.
In other words, America’s lax rules both permit fraud and trap innocent noncitizens. That’s the worst of all worlds. With millions of illegal aliens pouring across the border and landing in states across America, a change is clearly in order.
Exposing American elections to the potential for noncitizen voting is bad enough. The left’s quiet embrace of foreign funding to influence politics is arguably worse. In recent years, left-wing groups have cashed in on nearly $500 million in foreign contributions from Hansjorg Wyss. Armed with these funds, the Arabella Advisors network and other groups have run ads supporting the Biden climate agenda, financed former Attorney General Eric Holder’s litigation, and gerrymandered House seats for Democrats.
Nearly $250 million of Mr. Wyss’ contributions have landed in the coffers of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which is one the largest donors to left-wing ballot measures across the country. A recent report from the nonpartisan watchdog group Americans for Public Trust reveals this foreign-funded juggernaut has spent nearly $100 million on ballot issue campaigns in 25 states pushing abortion, tax increases and election law rewrites intended to give Democrats a partisan edge.
It is illegal for foreign nationals to donate to candidates for political office, but there is no such federal prohibition on foreign funding of ballot measures. Mr. Hagerty’s measure aims to close that loophole, among other things. Ballot measures are meant to give citizens a voice in the lawmaking process, not serve as a Trojan horse for widespread foreign influence.
Polling shows Americans overwhelmingly reject foreign interference, and just 9% back noncitizen voting. To the average person, these issues aren’t partisan — they’re commonsense American. Will Congress act, or will it let America roll through another election exposed to foreign influence and then brag about how they’ll fix it next time?
With Democrats in charge of the Senate, expect the latter. That’s shameful. The left has preached for years about ending foreign interference in elections. It’s time to put their foreign money where their mouth is.
Jason Snead is executive director of Honest Elections Project Action. Paul Teller is executive director of Advancing American Freedom.
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
Democrats believe in rules for thee, not for me. Like all good authoritarian socialists / Marxists, they view themselves as far above the rest of humanity and, as such, are the ones that define the rules for everyone else. While at the same time, they consider themselves as being completely exempt from the very same rules that they seek to force upon everyone else. There is no contradiction in their minds, because in their worldview they rule by supreme edict over the masses.
This is how every authoritarian socialist or Marxist regime has operated since Marx and Engels introduced their little tome to the death of capitalism and personal freedoms and advocated for the desired revival of what was essentially a rebranded style of a pre-Magna Carta global monarchy. Remember, Karl Marx was a bitter man consumed by the perception that he had been born too late in time. Long after absolute monarchies were ended, and more representative governments rose up to take their place across Europe. He thought he deserved to be a royal, ruling member of society, instead of the leech on society, dependent on handouts that he actually was his entire adult life.
When I go out I have to carry valid proof stating who I am, where I reside, and the list goes on. I am an American and I want America to be great. The liars are frauds, cheaters who don’t care , looking for power, and wanting to dominate with their rules. We cannot submit to that, we don’t have to tolerate this but we need to make our “ leaders” ( using the term loosely) accountable for their actions, poor leadership, and their misguided beliefs.
Anybody has to be able to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote. Legal residents that came to this country after WW II couldn’t vote in any election for 5 years or you were deported. And everyone kept to those restrictions. But not today. Every person from a foreign land comes here expecting to be supported by the government. Only we the people are the govt.Only the dems forget that. They think they pay for it. Only tax money coming from the citizens makes it possible for the millions and millions to live here and be made voters for the dems. Wyss is a graduate of Harvard and has donated 350 million to Harvard business school. Why not pay it to the students for their tuition. The school is rich enough with all the donations from Arab countries. Harvard has too many sugar daddies to listen too. It is the same by all these Ivy League schools. And what do they create? A bunch of spoiled brats that never have been punished or felt the consequences of their actions. And couldn’t find the Gaza Strip on a map showing the Gaza Strip. They scream from the river to the sea. But can’t name the river nor the sea. They are so easily brainwashed by the well trained Hamas infiltrators. They are not protesting anything that is going on. Just have some fun and beat up the police. After all they don’t believe in discipline. If they were so determined to support Hamas they should fly down to Gaza and join Hamas to fight Israel. Now that would be an act of following up on your conviction. Only they don’t have any convictions. Only demands. Bring us food I am hungry I am thirsty. Well you should have prepared yourself for a long siege and brought water and food. These kids are the Hitler Youth from the thirties. Brainwash the young and you have them for life. Those are the plans from the elites like Soros and Wyss et al. All old men that don’t care how they leave the world as long as their name is mentioned through the ages how they destroyed the world.
If anyone breaks any of our voting laws automatically 20 years in prison – no parole. And if that’s not strong enough, treason, then a firing squad.
If Americans don’t demand very strong penalties against those individuals who try to destroy our Constitutional Republic through treasonous acts America winds up on the ash heap of history. We are almost there now.
DEFUND the politicians!
It all began to deteriorate when ballots were also printed in Spanish. There’s no turning back now.
Our most recent presidential election that appeared to be uncorrupted was 2012. In 2016, the FBI illegally surveilled the Trump campaign, after having lied to the FISA court for that warrant by slandering Donald Trump.
In 2020, the rigged absences of what once had been chain of ballot custody, along with conspicuous video evidence of phony ballot counting after-hours in polling places, was undeniable… though the “democrats” exhaustively refuted much of this indisputable evidence by lying like troubled adolescents.
This includes the shockingly dishonest FBI Director Comey, who gave us some additional, fond memories by leaking untruthful stories to the Press about Candidate Trump.
This rigged system leaves conservative voters with an obligation to watch the polling places and mail-in ballot receiving facilities. This is an unfortunate burden put upon us by the diminished integrity of “democrat” voters.
I hope we all do our part to ensure a fair election, but I believe that widespread election fraud will not be broken, and we ALL must fight hard to ensure that our votes are legitimately cast, and our voices are heard.
Liberals and democrats in the name only Regressive, reactionary, oppressive, autocratic in reality Forcing policies to assure the complete destruction of the economy How can any country survive that
Both Hillary and Gore were caught taking Chinese money so no surprise there. If you took those 87,000 newly hired (and armed!) IRS agents and actually put them to task and investigated some of these multimillionaire Congressmen, you’d find China has bought them off too!
Foolish to expect Dems to stop foreign money. They don’t care how they gain/hold power. Think Obama “fundamental changes”. They rest are just as eager to play dictator and that will happen as soon as they tie up all branches of government with the help of foreign money and non-citizen votes.
“Our constitution is only for a moral and religious people and totally inadequate for the governance of any other”. John Adams.
Unfortunately too many of our people are no longer religious or moral. That is why our nation is going down the tubes.
No, liberals aren’t; however, LEFTISTS, i.e., communists and fascists are.
There is increasing fear that as it appears BIden is in danger of losing, there will be mass amnesty granted and the “newcomers” will vote.