Central South Dakota News

U.S. Senator Mike Rounds, along with Senator Bill Hagerty and several colleagues, has expressed concerns regarding the Department of Justice's (DOJ) response to reports of non-citizens registering to vote in U.S. elections. The senators addressed a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, highlighting their worries about the DOJ's inaction on this issue.

The letter states, "We are deeply concerned by reports of non-citizens registering to vote and voting in federal elections." It further notes that there has been no response from the DOJ concerning an inquiry made on July 12, 2024. This inquiry sought information on how the department enforces laws against non-citizen voting.

The senators emphasize the potential impact of such activities on election integrity and public trust. "Clearly, there is a non-negligible amount of voter participation by non-citizens in federal elections," they wrote.

Senators Tommy Tuberville, Marsha Blackburn, Roger Marshall, Thom Tillis, Rick Scott, James Lankford, Jim Risch, Ron Johnson, Kevin Cramer, Mike Crapo, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Josh Hawley, Steve Daines, Cynthia Lummis, Tim Scott, Marco Rubio, John Thune, Shelley Moore Capito, Ted Cruz among others joined Rounds and Hagerty in signing the letter.

Reports from state officials have raised alarms about non-citizens appearing on voter rolls. For instance, Virginia identified over 6,000 non-citizens who were removed from its voter rolls between 2022 and 2023. Texas also reported over 6,500 similar cases.

The letter reiterates a request for detailed information about prosecutions under specific U.S.C sections related to illegal voting activities since January 20th of 2021. The senators ask for responses by October 16th regarding steps taken by the DOJ to address these issues as the presidential election approaches.