Kendra S. Horn: “today I and 16 other colleagues are introducing the Voter Eligibility Verification Act, H.R. 1428. I think most American…”

“today I and 16 other colleagues are introducing the Voter Eligibility Verification Act, H.R. 1428. I think most American citizens would say that the very hallmark of citizenship is the right to cast one's vote and to have it counted. But in America we have increasingly situations where people who are not American citizens are voting, and local registrars and State chief election officers are at their wit's end as to how we can find out who are American citizens and who are not. The Voter Eligibility Verification Act of 1997 intends to solve that problem. I am very conscious of what one vote means. When I go to high school civic classes and talk to seniors, I stress my own primary back in 1992. I won by one-fifth of a vote per precinct. So each vote is precious. One's individual vote does count, and in introducing this bill we are trying to ensure the integrity of national, State, and local elections. By preventing noncitizens from registering to vote, we are fulfilling the spirit of the Constitution.”