Budd Joins Britt, Colleagues in Effort to Ban Noncitizens from Voting in D.C. Elections
Source: press release
Date: August 2025
Location: Washington, D.C.
Summary:
U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) joined Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) and 20 other Republican senators in introducing legislation that would ban noncitizens from voting in elections held in Washington, D.C.
The bill responds to a 2022 law passed by the D.C. City Council, which permits noncitizens—including undocumented immigrants and foreign embassy staff—to vote in local elections.
The Senate bill aims to override that law, prohibiting noncitizen voting in elections for Mayor, Attorney General, and City Council members in the nation’s capital.
Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX-11) introduced a companion bill in the U.S. House, which passed with bipartisan support—including 54 House Democrats joining Republicans in favor.
Quotable:
“The American people’s right to vote... is diminished when jurisdictions like D.C. allow noncitizens to interfere in our democratic process. This must stop.”
— Senator Ted Budd (R-NC)
“In the city representing the strongest democratic republic in the world, the D.C. City Council chose to flagrantly violate one of democracy’s core principles.”
— Senator Katie Britt (R-AL)
Co-sponsors include:
Senators Cotton, Graham, Ricketts, Cramer, Cassidy, Lankford, Mullin, Sheehy, Cornyn, Hagerty, Barrasso, Tuberville, Lummis, Marshall, Daines, Risch, Moody, Crapo, Cruz, and Fischer.
Background:
In addition to D.C., cities in Maryland, Vermont, and New York have passed similar measures allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections.
Polling consistently shows that 85–90% of Americans support limiting voting rights to U.S. citizens only.
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) joined Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and 20 of their Republican colleagues in introducing legislation to ban noncitizens from voting in D.C. elections.
“The American people’s right to vote in free and fair elections is diminished when jurisdictions like D.C. allow noncitizens to interfere in our democratic process. This must stop. No city, state, territory, or federal district is above the law. I am proud to join Senator Britt and my colleagues in introducing commonsense, bipartisan legislation to strengthen election integrity,” said Senator Budd.
“This isn’t just about local school boards or fixing potholes. This is about the direction of our nation’s capital,” said Senator Britt. “In the city representing the strongest democratic republic in the world, the D.C. City Council chose to flagrantly violate one of democracy’s core principles. This is a slap in the face to every American citizen, whether they live in D.C. or not, who should be the only voters deciding who represents them in every election and at every level of government. I am hopeful we gain bipartisan support in the Senate for this commonsense bill—it is our duty to protect the votes of hardworking American citizens, including those who came to our country legally and took the time and effort to go through the naturalization process. Ultimately, this is about strengthening the integrity of our elections.”
Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) also co-sponsored the legislation.
Representative August Pfluger (R-Texas-11) introduced the companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, where it passed with bipartisan support after 54 House Democrats joined Republicans in backing the measure.
Read the full bill text HERE.
BACKGROUND:
In 2022, the D.C. City Council passed a law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections. Due to this change, illegal aliens and foreign embassy staff have been given as much say as American citizens over who leads the nation’s capital in elections, including for Mayor, Attorney General, and City Council members.
Surveys repeatedly show an overwhelming majority of Americans—between 85 to 90 percent—support protecting the sanctity of our elections by allowing only U.S. citizens to participate in them.
In recent years, cities in Maryland, Vermont, and New York have also passed measures allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections.
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