House Democrats are preparing for a sizable number of defections on a vote to block a Washington, D.C. law allowing non-citizen voting despite their leadership whipping against it.
Why it matters: The bill is likely doomed in the Senate, but Republicans have vowed to turn it into a campaign issue by going after any Democrat who votes against it.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Will Reinert said in a press release on Thursday morning that the NRCC is “keeping a close eye” on how Democrats vote.
Democrats “will pay a heavy price in November for their radical open-border policies,” Reinert said.
State of play: The bill, set for a House vote Thursday afternoon, comes as Republicans are increasingly focused on non-citizen voting at the federal level despite little evidence the problem is widespread.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has championed the issue in recent weeks, including by holding a joint press conference with former President Trump.
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), for her part, is pushing colleagues to vote against the bill by arguing that it undermine’s D.C.’s autonomy.
“House Republicans are once again attempting to undermine the political self-determination of the nearly 700,000 residents of Washington, D.C.,” Clark’s office said in a note Democrats over the weekend.
More
https://www.axios.com/2024/05/23/democrats-dc-non-citizen-voting