Jim Beam column:GOP officials chasing ghosts

Published 6:27 am Saturday, February 21, 2026

Republicans in Congress are pushing a SAVE voting bill in an effort to catch ghosts that they believe are trying to steal elections. I say ghosts because the noncitizens they think are voting — for the most part — don’t exist.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram in a Wednesday report said, “The Bipartisan Policy Center says investigations have found no evidence that non-citizen voting is widespread or capable of affecting election outcomes.

“For instance, in Utah, a recent statewide review of voter registration lists found one instance of a non-citizen registering and no instances of a non-citizen casting a ballot.”

A Louisiana secretary of state’s audit last September found that only 79 noncitizens have voted in Louisiana elections since the 1980s.

David A. Graham of The Atlantic reported Wednesday that The Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank that supports the SAVE law, maintains a database of election fraud that contains 99 instances of ineligible voting by noncitizens since 1982. For comparison, Graham said more than 150 million votes were cast for president in 2024 alone.

Politico reported Tuesday that noncitizen voting is extremely rare, and state election offices conduct regular assessments of their voter rolls to curb risks of voter fraud.

USA Today on Wednesday said, “It is already illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote and there are requirements in place, such as providing a Social Security number to register, matching voter rolls to federal data and, in some states, requiring voter identification at the polls.

The Advocate reported Sunday that the leader of a New Orleans-based voting rights group said voting is already illegal for noncitizens who face perjury charges if they lie about their citizenship. And no evidence exists showing significant noncitizen voting.

The Fort Worth newspaper said the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE America Act, adds stricter requirements for proving  citizenship before votes count. Critics warn it could make registration harder for eligible voters and bring some of the biggest changes to voter qualification rules in years.

It’s no secret who is creating all of this voting conspiracy. President Donald Trump’s plans to create more Republican seats in the U.S. House haven’t fared well and he needs tighter voting controls to reduce the voter turnout at the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

USA Today said the Brennan Center for Justice said many Americans, especially people of color, low-income individuals and married and divorced women, don’t have the required voting documents and would have trouble getting them.

The New Republic said Republican lawmakers pretending that the SAVE Act isn’t a huge problem for married women are either lying or haven’t actually read the bill.

The Advocate said married voters, if the SAVE Act passes both the House and Senate, who took their spouse’s last name will need birth and marriage certificates and other documentation to prove their current last name.

The SAVE Act cleared the House 218-213 on Feb. 11 following pressure from Trump, Elon Musk and far-right influencers, according to Politico. It now has 50 Republican votes in the Senate but needs 60 to pass and be sent to Trump.

If only a simple majority vote were required, Vice President JD Vance could break the tie and send the act to Trump for his signature. However,  it takes 60 votes in the Senate and it isn’t close. Republicans have only 53 votes in the Senate.

The New Republic said, “Speaking of free elections: The SAVE Act should be considered an unconstitutional nonstarter, as many of the forms of identification listed cost money to procure, posing an illegal tax for voters. A U.S. passport costs roughly $165, while a Real ID costs between $30 and $129, depending on what state the applicant lives in.”

I had to get a delayed birth certificate years ago and it took time and money. Many married women would face that problem if the SAVE Act becomes law.

The Bipartisan Policy Center said about 9% of eligible Americans don’t have proof of citizenship readily available.

The Star-Telegram said Texans who register by mail would need to appear in person at an election office and show their documents before they could be officially registered.

Size this SAVE Act up any way you wish and it all adds up as “much ado about nothing.” Those noncitizen voters that Republicans are so worried about are the ghosts we mentioned earlier.

Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at jim.beam.press@gmail.com.