WASHINGTON—Heritage Action, a conservative grassroots organization with two million activists nationwide, including thousands of Idahoans, commends Idaho Governor Brad Little and Secretary of State Phil McGrane for taking action to ensure illegal aliens and noncitizens cannot vote in the Gem State.
After Governor Little signed Executive Order 2024-07, former Kansas Assistant Secretary of State and Heritage Action Director of State Advocacy Catherine Gunsalus released the following statement:
“As long as cities and states controlled by the Left continue to give illegal aliens IDs and automatically register voters with no proof of citizenship, the American people will have no way of knowing how widespread the problem of illegal alien and noncitizen voting may be. Thanks to Governor Little and Secretary McGrane’s bold action to definitively ban the practice in Idaho, that will no longer be a problem in the Gem State. All Idahoans can now have deeper faith in our election process.
“Heritage Action applauds Governor Little for signing Executive Order 2024-07. Other state leaders should follow Idaho’s lead to ensure Americans’ votes are not undermined this November.”
Executive Order 2024-07, the Only Citizens Will Vote Act, strengthens the processes to validate voter registrations and prevents noncitizens from registering to vote. Idaho is one of the first states in the nation to take executive action to bar illegal aliens and other noncitizens from voting.
Prior to the signing of the executive order, Idaho ranked 28th out of 51 on The Heritage Foundation’s Election Integrity Scorecard.
At the federal level, Heritage Action vocally supports the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (H.R. 8281), which would compel states to require proof of citizenship when registering voters. The SAVE Act was introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) in the House of Representatives and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) in the Senate. The bill currently has more than 120 cosponsors in both chambers. Ryan Walker sent a letter to the House Committee on Administration urging support for the bill, and Heritage Action also announced a Key Vote in support. The House is expected to vote on the legislation this week.
BACKGROUND:
The Heritage Foundation: Election Integrity Scorecard
Idaho Office of the Governor: Gov. Little, and Secretary McGrane make Idaho the first state to take executive action ensuring ONLY CITIZENS WILL VOTE
The Heritage Foundation: Ensuring That Only Citizens Vote in U.S. Elections
The Heritage Foundation: Voter ID Laws Are Popular for Good Reasons
According to Gov. Little’s office, the executive order directs the following actions:
The Secretary of State shall immediately take all necessary steps to ensure that processes are in place to validate voter registration and prevent non-citizens from registering to vote.
The Secretary of State shall routinely review Idaho’s voter rolls, in coordination with Idaho State Police and the Idaho Transportation Department, to identify any potential non-citizens.
The Secretary of State shall coordinate with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and take any steps necessary to verify citizenship status to ensure no non-citizens are participating in Idaho elections.
In the annual report to the Governor and Legislature regarding voter registration maintenance, pursuant to Idaho Code 34-418(2), the Secretary of State and county clerks shall report on their efforts to prevent and remove non-citizens from Idaho’s voter rolls.
State agencies shall not provide voter registration materials to non-citizens or coordinate with any federal programs or agencies to provide voter registration material to non-citizens in the State of Idaho.
State agencies entering into or renewing contracts with federal agencies or partners must confirm there is no requirement to provide voter registration materials to non-citizens or otherwise require voter registration activities for non-citizens.