Tom Tiffany, representative for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, said that the SAVE Act aims to ensure only U.S. citizens can vote in American elections. He cited instances of noncitizen voting in a statement made on X on March 31.
“ONLY American citizens should vote in American elections,” said Tiffany, U.S. Representative. “Yet, noncitizens have been shown to vote in our elections. This week, the House will vote on the SAVE Act to ensure that only U.S. citizens can cast a ballot.”
According to the Congressional Research Service, federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, although some local jurisdictions permit noncitizen voting in certain municipal elections. The Help America Vote Act and the National Voter Registration Act establish procedures for voter registration and eligibility verification. The SAVE Act proposes to enhance citizenship verification during voter registration.
A 2014 study published in Electoral Studies analyzed survey data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study and estimated that noncitizen participation in U.S. elections is rare but not nonexistent. The study suggested that 6.4% of noncitizens surveyed reported voting in the 2008 presidential election, although these findings have been debated. Authors acknowledged limitations of self-reported survey data in identifying voting behavior.
According to a 2005 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, election officials in at least 63 jurisdictions identified over 1,000 instances where noncitizens may have registered to vote between 1997 and 2004. Some of these noncitizens were confirmed to have voted in federal elections. The report said that limitations in data systems and verification procedures made it difficult to identify and prevent such occurrences.
Tiffany has represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2020. He previously served in the Wisconsin State Senate and State Assembly, with policy interests including immigration, election security, and fiscal responsibility.
