Crane, Cruz urge election group to require documentary proof of citizenship for federal registration

Arizona Rep. Eli Crane and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz have sent a letter urging the Election Assistance Commission asking the group require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration.

The letter by the Republican lawmakers was sent Monday, endorsing a petition calling for the EAC to amend its regulations and the National Mail Voter Registration Form to require proof of citizenship.

The federal voter registration form only requires people to check a box under penalty of perjury as an attestation that they are U.S. citizens.

House Republicans who co-signed the letter include Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Byron Donalds and Greg Steube of Florida, Pat Fallon and Ronny Jackson of Texas, Andy Harris of Maryland, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Mary Miller of Illinois, Barry Moore of Alabama, Riley Moore of West Virginia, and Derek Schmidt of Kansas.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is an independent, bipartisan commission whose mission is to help election officials improve the administration of elections and help Americans participate in the voting process.

Senate Republicans who co-signed are Sens. Jim Banks of Indiana, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ted Budd of North Carolina, John Cornyn of Texas, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Roger Marshall of Kansas, and Bernie Moreno.

“I’m proud to support this effort to strengthen our election system. In our constitutional republic, only American citizens should be able to vote, and requiring proof of citizenship at registration is a commonsense safeguard,” Crane said. “Considering we already show ID to drive, fly, or open a bank account, this is not a novel concept. It’s simply a necessary step to ensure the integrity of our elections.”