Gallego Opposes SAVE Act, Contradicting His Own ‘Voting Clarity Act’

By Matthew Holloway

Democrat Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), alongside his colleague Rep. Greg Stanton, opposed The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act on July 10. This decision contrasts sharply with Gallego’s own Voting Clarity Act, designed to inform asylum seekers that voting is illegal without citizenship, as reported by AZ Free News.

In early July, Gallego stressed that voting rights should remain exclusive to U.S. citizens. “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 told reporters.

Gallego introduced the Voting Clarity Act to combat misinformation and emphasize the importance of federal voting laws. “I’m proud to introduce this commonsense bill to combat misinformation about who can, and cannot vote in our federal elections,” he stated.

This recent vote against the SAVE Act has fueled criticism from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). They argue that Gallego’s Voting Clarity Act is merely political pandering. The NRSC stated, “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.”

The SAVE Act aims to reinforce existing voting restrictions by requiring states to verify citizenship before voter registration. Key provisions include:

• Prohibiting states from processing voter registration applications without proof of U.S. citizenship.
• Requiring alternative processes to demonstrate citizenship if documentary proof is unavailable.

These measures appear aligned with Gallego’s own bill, which mandates that asylum applicants be informed about voting restrictions under federal law. Gallego’s bill states that the Secretary of Homeland Security must provide this information in a clear and comprehensible form.

Republican Senate Candidate Kari Lake criticized Gallego’s vote in a statement, claiming, “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.” Lake added, “Our elections are sacred. We will NOT allow Biden and Gallego to water down our vote and disenfranchise American citizens.”

During the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Lake accused Gallego and the Democrats of compromising U.S. border security. “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,” she declared.

Gallego campaign spokeswoman Hannah Goss responded by attacking Lake’s stance on abortion but did not address Gallego’s vote on the SAVE Act directly. “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,” Goss said in a statement to the Arizona Mirror.

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