'At least a good five power line posts on to the ground'

'maybe we'll find out from the Biden campaign'

'he didn’t waste any time and nailed the guy with a right hook'

'Malpractice appears to have cost another life'

Most countries allow only their own citizens to vote in national elections and require voters to prove their eligibility to vote through photo identification when they register and before they cast their vote. Here in the U.S., verifying eligibility and registering voters is left to the states. You would hope that the federal government would want to assist the states, especially when it comes preventing foreign interference, and that election integrity would be a bipartisan issue. You’d think that a bill requiring U.S. states to obtain proof of citizenship before registering voters would have wide support. Such a proposal, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act (H.R. 8281), passed the House of Representatives Wednesday—but with only five Democrat votes. And the Biden administration “strongly opposes” it. Why? The White House statement is correct that “it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections” and that “making a false claim of citizenship or unlawfully voting in an election is punishable by removal from the United States and a permanent bar to admission.” But that’s where truth ends and spin begins. First, no state requires proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, and they vary on what documents are required to vote in person. Second, all 50 states allow noncitizens who are in the U.S. legally to get a driver’s license, and in 19 states, illegal aliens can get one, too. The problem is, in many states, those who apply for welfare benefits or driver’s licenses are automatically given voter registration forms. That’s a risky combination that invites millions of noncitizens to register to vote, leaving it up to their honesty to opt out. We know that some do register, despite it being illegal. In Arizona, one county told voters that even if their proof of citizenship could not be confirmed to register them for state elections, they would still be sent a ballot for federal elections! It’s hard to see how the U.S. Justice Department or local prosecutors would even find out, let alone prosecute them, if noncitizens voted. In California, the DMV automatically registers every customer unless they specifically opt out. You can also register to vote using a gym membership, credit card, or utility bill—all of which are obtainable by noncitizens. According to California officials, a person with such a low-quality ID would have to show real government-issued ID when they first voted. But with crowded polls, activist local officials, and paranoia about discrimination, can we be sure they are actually doing that? Even if a noncitizen is caught red-handed illegally voting, it is hard to imagine “progressive” district attorneys like Alvin Bragg in New York or George Gascon in Los Angeles prosecuting them when they regularly let repeat violent offenders go free. It’s even harder to imagine that recently impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, described as “derelict in his duty” by the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, would bother to arrest or deport illegal aliens for voting when his president and his political party oppose all efforts to verify the citizenship of registered voters and have facilitated mass illegal immigration. The White House claims that the SAVE Act was proposed “based on easily disproven falsehoods” about voter fraud. In fact, there are over 1,513 documented cases of election fraud in a database collated by The Heritage Foundation—and as the database website states, those cases are only a sampling of the actual fraud that occurs. The White House also claims, “States already have effective safeguards in place to verify voters’ eligibility and maintain the accuracy of voter rolls.” That is not true when it comes to citizenship. And in any event, some states do better than others, as another Heritage tool, the Election Integrity Scorecard, shows. Constant vigilance is required. Virginia removed 1,500 noncitizen voters from its rolls last year, of whom 20% had voted illegally. In Nevada, a citizen-led project aims to clean the voter rolls of voters who moved out of state or died. In North Carolina, The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight project recently interviewed people in a housing project who identified as noncitizens, of whom 10% said they had registered to vote. North Carolina is now considering amending its constitution to make it explicit that only citizens can vote, as are six other states. Seven states already have this clear condition. Lastly, the White House says that the SAVE Act “would make it much harder for all eligible Americans to register to vote …” That’s fiction, and the same false claim made about requiring voter ID. Numerous studies, including by both the National Bureau of Economic Research and the National Academy of Sciences, show that voter ID laws do not disproportionately burden any group of Americans. The SAVE Act simply requires people to furnish proof of citizenship before they can vote. If purported citizens don’t possess a single relevant identity document—which must be very rare—SAVE tells states to establish a process for determining their status. The last three presidential elections were close, as were numerous local and state elections. Claims of fraud have been made by members of both political parties. Measures to ensure election integrity should be supported by all who want not only the reality, but the appearance, of free and fair elections. In May, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson said that with the millions of illegal aliens released and paroled into the country under Joe Biden, “We now have so many noncitizens in the country that if only one out of 100 of those voted, they would cast hundreds of thousands of votes.” That’s greater than the margin of victory for many contests. With the largest legal and illegal immigration levels in the world, the United States has a constantly fluctuating electorate. With the Biden administration now (arguably unlawfully) using federal resources for voter registration drives in areas with high populations of both legal and illegal immigrants while also encouraging mass illegal entry at the border, verification of potential voters to protect the value of U.S. citizenship has never been more needed. Activists on the Left attack efforts to confirm the identity of voters, ensure votes are counted properly, and screen out inadvertent or fraudulent attempts to vote. They claim any effort to shore up election integrity is not only pointless but motivated by racism and xenophobia. They litigate state by state to stop voter ID laws and other reasonable reforms that polls show most Americans agree with. It’s hard to see a motive for this fierce resistance other than political concerns. But it is reckless to sacrifice electoral integrity for short-term political gain. The electoral system that underpins our democracy should always come before party affiliation. Voters can’t just be told by partisans that the system is free and fair, they must see it for themselves. Commonsense election integrity measures like the SAVE Act would reduce many of the now-credible grounds that lead politicians and the public to believe that elections are unfair, rigged, or influenced by fraud. Rather than fight tooth and nail against integrity efforts, liberals should join with conservatives to pass bipartisan national and state laws to make our elections a model for the world. The BorderLine is a weekly Daily Signal feature examining everything from the unprecedented illegal immigration crisis at the border to immigration’s impact on cities and states throughout the land. We will also shed light on other critical border-related issues like human trafficking, drug smuggling, terrorism, and more. Read Other BorderLine Columns: Yes, America Is Exceptional. Happy 4th of July! Supreme Court Confirms No ‘Right’ for Foreigners to Enter US Biden’s 5 Favorite Fudges on Immigration Law Illegal Immigration Crisis Drives European Voters to Conservatives Let’s Talk Some More About America’s Supposed ‘Rule of Law’ The post How Noncitizens Get to Vote in US Elections and How to Stop It: The BorderLine appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A former National Institutes of Health official testified to a Senate committee on Thursday that the agency did not suppress inquiries into the origins of COVID-19, even as Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., questioned her about private emails suggesting otherwise.  Carrie Wolinetz, who was the chief of staff for then-NIH Director Francis Collins during the pandemic, answered questions from members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about federal oversight of risky virus research.  The most heated moment of the hearing began when Hawley pressed Wolinetz about a March 2020 journal article written by several scientists that attempted to invalidate the Chinese lab leak theory of COVID-19’s origins. He cited emails obtained by Congress showing that NIH officials were in contact with the authors and reviewed the article before publication.  Scientists at NIH teamed up to discredit the COVID lab leak theory before they even tested the hypothesis. And then lied about it. Repeatedly. So much for "follow the science" pic.twitter.com/eEUdTancMz— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 11, 2024 “What interests me is that your office was very involved in that paper, which was supposed to be an independent piece of scientific analysis,” Hawley told Wolinetz. He asked if it is “normal” for scientists writing a paper “to get together and talk about how their conclusion’s going to come out.”  Wolinetz answered that “it is quite common for scientists across biomedical research fields, while they’re in the process of doing research, to discuss … ” “… to pre-bake the outcome?” Hawley interjected. “I do not believe that … that is an accurate description of the conversations that took place,” Wolinetz replied before clarifying that she “was not present for those conversations.”  “My understanding, based on readouts, is there was a lot of interest in the origins and current understanding of [COVID-19],” Wolinetz told the Missouri senator.  Hawley then highlighted an email in which Collins called lab leak concerns a “very destructive conspiracy” shortly after the paper’s publication. The senator asked again why Collins’ office was “so intent on” quieting speculation that U.S.-funded experiments at a Wuhan, China, lab had created the virus.  “Is it because of the NIH’s role in funding gain-of-function research at the lab?” Wolinetz again said Hawley’s portrayal of events was “inaccurate.”  Under further tense questioning, she testified that she and her colleagues never “suggested that there wasn’t the possibility that a virus had escaped from a lab.” Hawley interrupted again, calling her claim “ridiculous.” The hearing came one day after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced legislation requiring more oversight of federally funded virus research.  Paul said in opening remarks that his bill is in response to a “web of deception” from federal bureaucrats regarding the gain-of-function research in China “that may have caused the pandemic.” Some federal agencies such as the FBI have concluded that COVID-19 was most likely a lab creation. The post Hawley Clashes With Ex-Official Who Denied NIH Suppressed COVID-19 Lab Leak Inquiries appeared first on The Daily Signal.

All 47 Senate Democrats were silent when asked by The Daily Signal whether they support a pending bill to compel proof of citizenship for voters in federal elections. But the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, is gaining momentum among Senate Republicans. The House passed the SAVE Act on Wednesday by a 221-198 vote. The legislation would amend the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, known as the “motor voter law,” to require that states obtain documentary proof of U.S. citizenship from someone before he or she may register to vote in federal elections. The companion bill in the Senate, introduced by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has 20 co-sponsors—a significant spike from its original seven. “Only Americans should vote in American elections,” Lee told The Daily Signal. “I challenge my Democrat colleagues to explain to the American people why they think noncitizens should be able to fraudulently cast ballots.” Although five House Democrats voted for the bill sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, the other 198 House Democrats voted against it. Not a single Senate Democrat responded to The Daily Signal’s requests for comment on how they would vote on the SAVE Act. “The SAVE Act is the most common sense legislation possible,” Lee said, “and the vast majority of Americans agree that our elections should be protected from illegal foreign interference.” President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the measure if it passes the Senate and goes to his desk. “Almost every single Democrat voted against requiring proof of citizenship to vote,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told The Daily Signal, referring to the House vote on Wednesday. “The Democrats want illegal aliens to vote because they think they’re going to vote for Democrats—even though it’s illegal for illegal aliens to vote. Just about every Democrat yesterday voted against requiring proof of citizenship, and so we’re going to fight for this.” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said every state should follow Iowa’s example by requiring proof of citizenship to vote. “As Democrats show they are adamantly against ensuring only American citizens vote in American elections,” Ernst said, “we must do more to secure election integrity.” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., supports Lee’s bill, according to his office. “Sen. Cassidy absolutely believes illegal immigrants should not be voting in federal elections,” a spokesperson said. As one of the bill’s co-sponsors, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said he “absolutely” supports the SAVE Act. “Illegals should never be allowed to vote in our elections,” Scott told The Daily Signal, “but unfortunately Biden and his radical Democrats are trying to give illegals more rights, support, and resources than are given to law-abiding American citizens.” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said it is “plain and simple” that illegal immigrants shouldn’t vote in U.S. elections. “The SAVE Act would close existing loopholes in the National Voter Registration Act to require every potential voter in every state to prove they are an American citizen before casting their vote in a federal election,” Blackburn told The Daily Signal. Fred Lucas contributed to this report. The post Senate Democrats Silent on Bill Mandating Proof of Citizenship for Voters appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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