Anti-immigrant activists draft bill requiring US citizenship proof to vote

A coalition of anti-immigrant and election-denying activists called Only Citizens Vote Coalition has joined forces with the powerful rightwing American Legislative Exchange Council (Alec) to draft a model bill requiring citizenship for voting in “all public elections”.

Non-US citizens are already forbidden from voting in federal elections, and could face felony charges and even deportation if they attempt to do so. All evidence suggests non-citizens rarely attempt to cast a ballot illegally. But as the 2024 general presidential election approaches, a group of Donald Trump allies – among them, Only Citizens Vote Coalition – have joined together to elevate fears of non-citizens voting.

The claim, peddled by figures on the right from the Republican US House speaker, Mike Johnson, to the tech billionaire Elon Musk, stokes doubts about the US electoral process that Trump raised after losing the 2020 election.