ruben gallego
Gallego Votes Against SAVE Act, Despite His Own ‘Voting Clarity Act’

July 20, 2024

By Matthew Holloway |

Democrat Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), alongside fellow Democrat Rep. Greg Stanton, broke with the rest of the Arizona Congressional Delegation and voted against The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act on July 10. The move from Gallego comes as a surprise to some given his own bill, the Voting Clarity Act, which, as reported by AZ Free News, would advise illegal immigrants applying for asylum that it is illegal for them to vote under federal law.

In a press release in early July, Gallego said definitively that voting rights should not be extended to illegal immigrants. He told reporters: “That is why it is critical that those seeking to enter the U.S. are told clearly and upfront that they cannot vote in our elections if they are not citizens.”

He added, “I’m proud to introduce this commonsense bill to combat misinformation about who can, and cannot vote in our federal elections.”

His vote against the SAVE Act would seem to vindicate a statement from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) claiming that the Voting Clarity Act was merely an attempt to “pander” to Arizona voters concerned about the border. The NRSC rebuked him saying, “Ruben Gallego has been rubber-stamping the far left’s most radical, open border policies for his entire career in Washington. His election year pandering is a slap in the face to Arizonans who are facing the brunt of the border crisis Gallego helped create.”

Indeed, a vote against the SAVE Act would appear to contradict the sentiments of Gallego’s own “Voting Clarity Act,” in that the SAVE Act only serves to reinforce the laws that Gallego would advise illegal immigrants to obey.

If signed into law, the SAVE Act would:

  • Prohibit 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.
  • Prohibit 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
  • Require states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship.

Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by specified sources.

The text of both bills are complimentary in most respects, with Gallego’s bill stating unequivocally, “The Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide information to each alien applying for asylum under this section on the restrictions on voting and the penalties for voting unlawfully under Federal law, including under section 611 of title 18, United States Code, at the time of such application. Information under this paragraph shall be provided in a form and language that the alien can understand.’’.

In a mailer obtained by Cactus Politics, Republican Senate Candidate Kari Lake’s campaign reportedly responded to Gallego’s vote against the SAVE Act that stated, “On Wednesday, Ruben Gallego voted AGAINST the SAVE Act, which would prevent illegal immigrants and non-U.S. citizens from voting in our elections and establish penalties for intentionally registering non-citizens to vote. Notably, Arizona currently tells voters that if their citizenship cannot be confirmed, they will receive a federal-only ballot, allowing them to vote in Presidential, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House Elections.”

Lake is quoted as saying, “Ruben Gallego helped Joe Biden open our border and allowed millions of illegal aliens into America. Then, today, to add insult to injury, Ruben spat in the face of every law-abiding American when he voted to allow illegal immigrants to vote in our elections. Our elections are sacred. We will NOT allow Biden and Gallego to water down our vote and disenfranchise American citizens.  Ruben Gallego is the most radical member of Congress, and this November, Arizona will reject him and his owner, Joe Biden.”

During her remarks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Lake noted Gallego’s vote against the SAVE Act saying, “Americans are waking up to the truth about the disastrous Democrat policies pushed by Joe Biden and his favorite Congressman, my opponent Ruben Gallego. These guys, they are full, they’re full of bad ideas. Just last week Ruben Gallego voted to let the millions of people who poured into our country illegally cast a ballot in this upcoming election. Gallego and the Democrats have handed over control of my state, Arizona’s, border to the drug cartels and because of them, criminals and deadly drugs are pouring in and our children are dying. Our children are getting their hands on these drugs and dying.”

Gallego campaign spokeswoman Hannah Goss responded to Lake’s remarks in a statement published by the Arizona Mirror saying, “Kari Lake stood on stage and proved to everyone that she will say anything to get power — including lie to Arizonans to distract from her dangerous plan to ban abortion without exceptions for rape or incest.” Notably, the statement from Gallego’s spokeswoman failed to address the Congressman’s contradictory vote against the SAVE Act.

Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.

Get FREE News Delivered to Your Inbox!

Corporate media seeks stories that serve its own interests. But you deserve to know what’s really going on in your community. Stay up to date on the latest in Arizona by signing up to get FREE news delivered to your inbox.

You May Also Like …

Connect with us!

ABOUT  |  NEWS  |  OPINION  |  ECONOMY  |  EDUCATION  |  CONTACT

A project of the Arizona Freedom Foundation  |  All Rights Reserved 2025  |  Code of Ethics  |  Privacy Policy

Share This