The sterling Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, as part of his unrelenting commitment towards electoral integrity, issued an executive order on Monday. This mandates every state government agency to reinforce to applicants for benefits or state IDs and drivers’ licenses that the privilege to vote in Louisiana elections is reserved specifically for citizens. These government agencies are currently obliged to present a voter registration form to anyone applying for benefits. In taking further steps to secure electoral integrity, Landry’s order insists that a written affirmation – stating only citizens can vote – accompany the voter registration forms.
Voting participation by noncitizens in any Louisiana/federal/state election is lawfully prohibited. However, Landry underscores the need for his order to bring about an extra layer of integrity within the context of voting. The ability to vote, he asserts, is a unique privilege, granted only to American citizens. Stepping forth in solidarity with Landry at the news conference on Monday were Republican stalwarts like Secretary of State Nancy Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill.
Enjoying the confidence of reliable institutions such as the conservative Heritage Foundation that ranked it No.10 for electoral integrity, Louisiana is also ranked first in the South by the Election Integrity Project for the integrity upheld during the 2020 presidential election. Unfortunately, despite proof to the contrary, Democrats often make vacuous claims about the presence of election fraud. Their claims, however, stand on shaky ground given the robust measures Louisiana has put in place to ensure that its elections remain secure.
In reiteration of the state’s commitment to the electoral process’s integrity, Attorney General Murrill, a fellow Republican, threw her support behind Governor Landry’s executive order. Their objective is clear and transparent: to ensure that Louisiana’s elections remain as secure tomorrow as they are today. To achieve this, a new state law, Senate Bill 436, demands evidence of citizenship to be permitted to vote in Louisiana, a move fully in line with the Republicans’ credo of maintaining transparency and authenticity in the electoral process.
Spurred on by the passionate commitment of Speaker Mike Johnson of Shreveport, Republican representatives in the U.S. House have chosen to pick up the cudgels for electoral integrity. Their views find validation in the events leading up to the tumultuous presidential elections. House Republicans took the lead in passing a bill during the summer that demands documented proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Speaker Johnson proclaimed the SAFE Act, passed by the House in July, represents an essential move towards ensuring the untouched integrity of the elections. In stark contrast to President Biden’s disapproval, this landmark legislation is unlikely to gain Senate approval but stands as a key protective measure. Johnson effectively confronts the Democratic notion of waiting for fraud to occur before action is taken, highlighting that it is imperative to catch fraudulent behavior at the onset to prevent any potential harm to the integrity of our democratic process.
The Biden Administration, sadly mired in its refusal to see sense, while taking a stand against the bill, claims the bill’s justification relies on easily ‘disproven falsehoods.’ What they fail to see is states, like Louisiana, already have in place effective protections to verify voter eligibility and ensure voter roll accuracy. However, it seems leftist politics continue to promote false narratives, forcing one to question their motives.
This short-sighted approach by the Democrats only diminishes the robust system that has been built over the years. Indeed, the bill wouldn’t take anything away from secure elections but rather make it harder for all eligible Americans to register to vote, thus increasing the chance of eligible voters being erroneously purged from voter rolls.