Associated Press: Democratic proposal would not allow noncitizens to vote in elections

CLAIM: Democrats in Congress voted to allow noncitizens to vote in elections.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. House lawmakers are weighing a proposal to provide federal grants to help states and other jurisdictions translate election materials into other languages. The bill, an amendment to the Voting Rights Act, doesn’t expand voting rights to noncitizens. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee voted against adding language that would say this explicitly, but experts say such a clause was unnecessary, as federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections.

THE FACTS:

Conservatives are claiming on social media that the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives is seeking to allow noncitizens to vote in elections, citing a new bill that would do no such thing. …

Aaron Scherb, legislative affairs director at Common Cause, a government watchdog group that backed the Democratic bill, dismissed the amendment effort as a “pure ‘gotcha’ moment” by Republicans.

“It’s already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, which House Judiciary Republicans all know,” he said via email.