Mar. 27, 2025
HARRISBURG – Continuing his commitment to the sanctity of the state’s elections, Rep. Ryan Warner (R-Fayette) has reintroduced his legislation that would require a person to present proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in the Commonwealth.
Warner’s move mirrors efforts on the federal level, with President Donald Trump issuing an executive order this week compelling states to require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Congress is also working to move its Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE),
H.R. 22, which would similarly require proof of citizenship to register.
“It is encouraging to see our national leaders prioritizing the security of our elections across the country, and I am pleased to be leading the charge here in the Commonwealth,” Warner said. “We have a responsibility to our citizens to ensure every vote cast is a legitimate, legal vote. If even one person votes illegally, it cancels out a legal voter’s choice to lead our communities, state and nation.”
While both federal law and the Pennsylvania Constitution already prohibit non-citizens from voting, the failure to require tangible proof of citizenship at the time of registration creates a potential loophole for non-citizens seeking to register to vote, Warner noted.
One of the biggest concerns when it comes to non-citizens registering to vote illegally has to do with automatic voter registration programs that operate in dozens of states, including Pennsylvania. Under the Commonwealth’s program, an eligible resident obtaining a driver’s license or non-driver identification is automatically taken through the voter registration application process unless they opt out of doing so. With House Democrats and the Shapiro administration pushing legislation to provide driver license products to undocumented residents – who are not eligible to vote – there are real concerns about how the Commonwealth would prevent them from automatically registering.
“These concerns are well-founded considering issues being experienced in other states,” Warner said.
Oregon previously announced it discovered more than 1,200 possible non-citizens were registered to vote through its Department of Motor Vehicles’ automatic voter enrollment program. In Arizona, a coding oversight in state software is calling into question the citizenship status for as many as 100,000 registered voters.
“I, too, want to see every single eligible Pennsylvanian registered to vote and casting ballots in every election,” Warner said. “But we must be thorough in protecting the rights of legal voters and the legitimacy of the ballots they cast.”
Warner’s
House Bill 1061 has been formally introduced and is awaiting referral to a House committee.