Congressman Bob Gibbs

Representing the 7th District of Ohio

Gibbs Introduces Ensuring American Voters Act to Safeguard Elections

September 6, 2018
Press Release

Washington, DC – In an effort to bolster the security and integrity of federal elections, Congressman Bob Gibbs introduced legislation to prevent foreign nationals from fraudulently registering to vote.  The Ensuring American Voters Act will require proof of citizenship for the voter registration process.

Recent incidents of foreign nationals attempting to vote in federal elections include seven indicted in Franklin County, Ohio last year and nineteen indicted in North Carolina just last month. The Ohio Secretary of State’s office reported 199 races or issue elections were decided by one vote or tied in the last five years. Even just one illegal vote can affect the outcome of an election.

After introducing the bill, Congressman Gibbs released the following statement:

“Voting is one of the most fundamental responsibilities for American citizens.  An informed American electorate holds the nation’s future in its hands.  Only US citizens should be voting in federal elections, yet there are gaps in the voter registration systems that can be exploited.  A dozen states and the District of Columbia give illegal aliens the opportunity to obtain drivers’ licenses, with eight of those entities offering voter registration at the time of obtaining a license.

“To close this gap, I introduced the Ensuring American Voters Act today, which requires proof of citizenship at the time of registering to vote.  This is a matter of protecting the integrity of our elections. We have made substantial investments in protecting our voting systems from foreign influence or corruption. It is time to take steps to stop illegal voting before it happens, rather than dealing with the consequences after the fact.”

The Ensuring American Voters Act would require individuals to provide documentary proof that the individual is a citizen of the United States when they apply to register to vote by providing one of the following documents:

  • A certified birth certificate issued by a state 
  • A valid United States passport
  • A Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the U.S. Secretary of State 
  • A Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of Citizenship issued by the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security

The text of the bill can be found here.