In a decisive effort to strengthen America’s election system, Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL) has introduced the Citizen Ballot Protection Act, landmark legislation designed to ensure that only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections. The bill clarifies that states may require proof of citizenship when individuals register to vote — an authority the Supreme Court effectively restricted in a 2013 ruling.
Palmer emphasized that restoring states’ ability to verify citizenship is essential to protecting the sanctity of America’s elections.
“In 2013, the Supreme Court issued a ruling preventing states from requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. The Citizen Ballot Protection Act would fix this issue by amending the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to give states the ability to verify the citizenship status of their voters when they register,” he said. “Americans deserve to know their elections are secure. The Citizen Ballot Protection Act is a great step towards restoring faith in the ability to conduct free and fair elections and preventing illegally cast ballots from swaying the outcome.”
The bill is cosponsored by Reps. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) and Barry Moore (R-AL), two reliable conservatives who have long championed election integrity. Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) has introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
Britt underscored the basic principle behind the proposal: only Americans should be deciding America’s future.
“Voting in our country is a sacred right that must solely be limited to American citizens. To allow States to uphold this principle should be simple commonsense,” she said. “It should not be controversial that States have the legal right to prevent noncitizens — including illegal aliens and official representatives of foreign adversaries — from voting in State and Federal elections.”
She also blasted left-wing cities that have begun allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections.
“Cities that allow noncitizens to vote disenfranchise hardworking American citizens, insult those who came here legally and went through the citizenship process and undermine faith in our entire electoral system,” Britt said. “We cannot allow that cornerstone of our nation to crumble.”
Palmer has introduced this bill twice before — in both the 117th and 118th Congresses — but with border security failures and election-law controversies escalating nationwide, the issue has taken on new urgency.
At a time when Americans are increasingly concerned about the integrity of their elections, the Citizen Ballot Protection Act draws a clear line: the right to vote belongs to citizens—and citizens alone.
Read the bill text here.
