Nicholas the Third votes to disenfranchise thousands of Alaskans

Rep. Nick Begich the Third has voted to make it harder for thousands of Alaskans to participate in elections, complying with orders from Donald Trump to back a voter suppression plan called the SAVE America Act.

Nicholas The Third claimed he was voting for the “gold standard” of election safety. He’s wrong.

This bill is a disaster for Alaska. It is federal overreach.

“It would require voters to show proof of citizenship not only when registering to vote, but also every time they went to cast a ballot in a federal election,” as the New York Times reported.

What Begich has voted for is a scheme to keep Alaskans without passports or birth certificates from participating in the fundamental act of registering to vote. Trump keeps claiming he wants to nationalize elections and this is a step in that direction.

Many Alaska rural residents do not have passports or birth certificates. Many married women do not have documents that establish name changes. An Alaska driver’s license, which does not prove citizenship, would not be sufficient.

The Republican push for this bill is about nothing other than attempting to keep people from voting to help retain Republican control of Congress.

The challengers to Begich need to drive home this point and hold him accountable.

Nicholas the Third has failed to mention how many Alaskans will be unable to vote under his plan or how much it will cost individuals and the state to meet the new requirements. Or whether it would even be possible for the state to meet the onerous requirements.

One of the most egregious elements is the circular logic that is supposed to apply to people who do not have a passport or a birth certificate containing the right name.

That person has to sign a legal document saying he or she is a citizen. Then a state election official has sign a legal document saying the would-be voter has proven citizenship without showing proof of citizenship. Nicholas the Third should explain how that will work.

“Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship,” the Congressional Research Service says.

“Further, the bill (1) prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; and (2) requires states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, unlike Nicholas the Third, has not joined the Trump effort to suppress the vote. She is the only Senate Republican to speak up about this federal overreach. Sen. Dan Sullivan has been silent, but last year he was supporting something similar.

“Election Day is fast approaching. Imposing new federal requirements now, when states are deep into their preparations, would negatively impact election integrity by forcing election officials to scramble to adhere to new policies likely without the necessary resources,” Murkowski said.

“Ensuring public trust in our elections is at the core of our democracy, but federal overreach is not how we achieve this,” Murkowski said.

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