,i  #aahth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #deig  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #ac1 #bjbc,mr4 
,van ,orden introduced the following    
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,oversight and            
,accountability  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend   
the ,,real ,,id ,act of #bjje to include
 an indication of ,united ,states       
citizenship in the minimum requirements 
for driver's licenses and identification
 cards under such ,act1 and for other   
purposes4  #a4 ,short title2 findings2  
sense of ,congress  7a7 ,short title    
,this ,act may be cited as the ,citizen 
,vote ,protection ,act4  7b7 ,findings2 
,sense of ,congress  7#a7 ,findings     
,congress finds the following3  7,a7    
,photo voter identification programs    
established by the ,states should be    
administered without unlawful           
discrimination and with an eye toward   
balancing appropriate access to the     
ballot box with election integrity and  
voter confidence goals4  7,b7 ,as       

confirmed by the bipartisan ,commission 
on ,federal ,election ,reform 7commonly 
known as the ,carter-,baker             
,commission71 voters in nearly #ajj     
democracies use a photo identification  
card without fear of infringement of    
their rights4  7,c7 ,as confirmed by the
 ,carter-,baker ,commission1 8the right 
to vote is a vital component of ,u4,s4  
citizenship and all ,states should use  
their best efforts to obtain proof of   
citizenship before registering voters404
  7,d7 ,the ,carter-,baker ,commission  
was correct in its #bjje report when it 
recommended that the ,,real ,,id ,act be
 modestly adapted for voting purposes to
 indicate on the front or back whether  
the individual is a ,u4,s4 citizen44    
7,e7 ,congress acknowledges the         
important work completed by the         
,carter-,baker ,commission and1 by      
amending the ,,real ,,id ,act1 resolves 
the concerns in the ,commission's report
 that the ,,real ,,id ,act does not     
require that the card indicates         

citizenship1 but that would need to be  
done if the card is to be used for      
voting purposes4  7,f7 ,photographic    
voter identification is important for   
ensuring voter confidence in election   
processes and outcomes4  7,g7 ,requiring
 photographic voter identification is   
well within ,states' constitutional     
competence1 including pursuant to the   
,qualifications ,clause of the          
,constitution of the ,united ,states    
7article ,i1 section #b1 clause #b71 the
 ,presidential ,electors ,clause of the 
,constitution 7article ,,ii1 section #a1
 clause #b71 and the ,seventeenth       
,amendment4  7,h7 ,the ,fifteenth       
,amendment1 the ,nineteenth ,amendment1 
the ,twenty-,fourth ,amendment1 and the 
,twenty-,sixth ,amendment1 among other  
references1 make clear that the         
,constitution prohibits voting by       
non-citizens in ,federal elections4     
7,i7 ,congress has the constitutional   
authority1 including under the          
aforementioned amendments1 to pass      

statutes preventing non-citizens from   
voting in ,federal elections1 and did so
 with the ,illegal ,immigration ,reform 
and ,immigrant ,responsibility ,act of  
#aiif4  7,j7 ,congress may further      
exercise its constitutional authority to
 ensure the ,constitution's prohibition 
on non-citizen voting in ,federal       
elections is upheld4  7#b7 ,sense of    
,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress 
that the ,states should implement the   
substance of the recommendation of the  
,carter-,baker ,commission that1 to     
ensure that persons presenting          
themselves at the polling place are the 
ones on the registration list1 the      
,commission recommends that states      
encourage voters to use the ,,real ,,id 
card1 which was mandated in a law signed
 by the ,president in ,may #bjje4  #b4  
,,real ,,id ,act ,amendment  7a7        
,amendment ,section #bjb7;b7 of the     
,real ,,id ,act of #bjje 7#di ,u4,s4,c4 
#cjcja note7 is amended by adding at the
 end the following new paragraph3  7#aj7

 ,if the person is a citizen of the     
,united ,states1 an indication of that  
citizenship1 except that no other       
information may be included with respect
 to the immigration status of the       
person4  4  7b7 ,applicability ,the     
amendment made by this section shall be 
effective ,january #a1 #bjbg1 and shall 
apply with respect to any driver's      
license or identification card issued by
 a ,state on and after such date4  7c7  
,rule of construction ,nothing in this  
section or in any amendment made by this
 section may be construed to establish  
or mandate the use of a national        
identification card or to authorize any 
office of the executive branch to       
establish or mandate the use of a       
national identification card4