"It's hard to overstate the importance of the myth of mass noncitizen voting to the MAGA mind-set. It's at the heart of the white-supremacist Great Replacement Theory, which claims nonwhite immigrants are taking over America via the ballot box. And it's not just fringe voices pushing this myth. It's the basis for Donald Trump's bizarre claim in 2016 that he would have won the popular vote against Hillary Clinton if not for the "millions" of votes cast by illegal immigrants."
"In 2024, it ascended to the level of a foundational myth in MAGA circles. Throughout the campaign, Trump claimed America had been destroyed by traitorous Democrats who had opened the borders to herd millions of criminals into the country. Supposedly, once here, these "worst of the worst" aliens preyed on innocent citizens, fleeced taxpayers by accessing welfare benefits, and went to the polls to keep their Democrat enablers in power."
Congressional Republicans are shifting focus from ICE reform to alleged noncitizen voting and plan to advance the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act. The SAVE Act would require documentary proof such as Real ID, passport, or birth certificate, a requirement that would block roughly 21 million U.S. citizens from voting. Claims of widespread noncitizen voting contradict federal and state prohibitions and lack credible evidence. The myth of mass noncitizen voting underpins MAGA and Great Replacement narratives and feeds claims of stolen elections. The current administration emphasizes deportations and executive actions framed as election-integrity measures.
Read at Intelligencer
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