Speech #1050167439

I strongly support the Goodlatte amendment to restore integrity to elections. There is no more revered right of citizenship than the right to vote. The 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act made it both a Federal crime and a deportable offense when noncitizens vote. Allowing noncitizens to vote cheapens the right for the rest of us. There is currently no satisfactory way for local registrars to ensure that there are no noncitizens on their voting rolls or for the Justice Department to enforce the penalties. Attempts have been made to check voting rolls against Immigration and Naturalization Service records in order to identify noncitizens. However. INS data. at best. can only tell us that a voter is a legal immigrant or a citizen. INS data cannot tell us whether a voter is in fact an illegal alien. I want to thank my friend from Virginia for offering this amendment. The enactment of the motorvoter law and the loosening of voter registration requirements have released a flood of voter irregularities and illegalities across the country.