Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., denied there was any evidence of illegal immigrants voting in U.S. elections on Tuesday when he was asked about legislation that would require proof of citizenship in order to vote.
“There is no evidence that undocumented migrants vote,” the border senator told Fox News’ Chad Pergram at the Capitol during the chamber’s pro forma session.
Kelly had been asked for his thoughts on including a bill to require proof of citizenship in order to vote in a must-pass spending bill at the end of the month.
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Kelly was in consideration to be Kamala Harris’ running mate. (Vincent Alban/Reuters)
“This is a solution looking for a problem,” he responded.
Kelly reiterated again, “The problem doesn’t exist.”
Republicans have ramped up their efforts to secure elections ahead of the pivotal November races, in part by removing noncitizens from voter rolls across the country. Last month, 138 noncitizens were found to have recently voted in Ohio during a months-long voter roll audit. This came after Ohio removed hundreds of registered noncitizens from voter rolls earlier this year.
It’s unclear, however, whether the noncitizens who have illegally voted were in the U.S. illegally.
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The border has become a large issue going into the November election. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Despite Kelly’s claim, similar instances of registered noncitizens have been found across the country. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, revealed that more than 6,500 noncitizens were registered in the Lone Star State.
“Of the over 6,500 potential noncitizens removed from the voter rolls, approximately 1,930 have a voter history,” read an August press release.
Alabama, Virginia and Georgia also announced numerous instances of noncitizens being registered to vote during their own audits.
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Kelly denied that migrants were participating in elections. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
Ahead of the 2024 election, some conservative Republicans in the House and Senate have made it their mission to include the federal legislation to require proof of citizenship to vote in a must-pass stopgap spending bill at the end of September.
The bill, known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, passed the Republican-led House earlier this summer by a vote of 221-198. Five Democrats joined the measure, including Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas; Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas; Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine; Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C.; and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.
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Kelly represents a border state. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
However, the bill has not been scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Some proponents have suggested tying it to the spending bill is the only way to secure a Senate vote on the measure.
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According to Kelly, it is “hard enough to get citizens to vote.”
He said the legislation would create a “new system and requirements that there doesn’t seem to be any necessity [for].”