Virginia Dems Support Non-Citizen Voting in Congress

Newly elected Virginia Reps. Eugene Vindman (D-07) and Suhas Subramanyam (D-10) seem fine with letting non-citizens vote. On April 10, they joined most of their Democrat colleagues to vote against the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which requires proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections.

The bill passed 220–208 on April 11 with unanimous Republican support and that of only four Democrats: Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), and Ed Case (HI-01). 

The SAVE Act amends the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 to mandate individuals provide a passport, birth certificate, or REAL ID-compliant identification when registering to vote in federal elections. It also requires states to remove non-citizens from voter rolls and establishes penalties for election officials who knowingly register ineligible voters. 

It now heads to the Senate, where Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has already introduced a companion measure (S. 128). The bill’s path forward in the upper chamber remains difficult and will require at least 7 Democrat senators to pass it. 

(READ MORE: The Democrats Just Showed They Want Non-Citizens Voting in Our Elections Forever)

Why Might Vindman and Subramanyam Oppose a Crackdown on Non-Citizens Voting?

Democrats have falsely characterized the SAVE Act as a voter suppression tactic, but Vindman’s and Subramanyam’s backgrounds and constituencies suggest they may not really care that much if a few non-citizen voters slip through the cracks.

Their opposition to the SAVE Act doesn’t come as a surprise considering their positions on election integrity and the threat they think Trump and his supporters pose.

Both cosponsored the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would have federalized elections and lock Republicans out of power. 

On May 22, 2024, Vindman—whose twin is the weaselly impeachment soldier Alexander Vindman—shared a classic Morning Joe meltdown about the January 6 riot, adding, "What happened on January 6, 2021 is something that can never happen again. Our democracy is on the line. We cannot elect leaders who normalize rioting and insurrection.” 

Subramanyam too believes January 6 threatened "our fragile democratic institutions.”

If electing Trump and his supporters puts democracy on the line, wouldn’t it make sense to do everything in their power to make sure they lose?

Districts with high numbers of immigrants overwhelmingly favor Democrats, and these congressmen’s districts have exceptionally high immigrant populations. The share of foreign-born residents in Subramanyam’s district, for instance, is 23 percent—nearly double the statewide 12 percent.

Polling firms rarely ask non-citizen immigrants their opinions on U.S. politics. The closest way to gauge how they would vote if given the chance is looking at naturalized citizens’ voting habits. 

The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) and the U.S. Immigration Policy Center (USIPC) at UC San Diego polled 2,678 naturalized Americans shortly before last year’s election and found they represent a key resource for the Democrat Party. Turnout in the 2024 election was 63.7 percent, however, the poll found 97.3 percent of naturalized Americans said they "probably will vote” or "definitely will vote.” A similar poll found 86.8 percent of naturalized Americans said they did vote in the 2020 election.

Among these immigrants eligible to vote, Kamala Harris led Trump 53.6 percent to 38.3 percent.

The Ultimate Swamp Creatures

Both Vindman and Subramanyam represent Big Bureaucracy more than most in Congress. Their districts thrive on government spending, and their careers reflect a cozy relationship with the D.C. "swamp.” This entrenched bureaucracy fuels their political base, tying them to the big government status quo. 

Vindman’s district has 56,000 federal employees, and Subramanyam’s has 34,000. This, of course, doesn’t count immediate family members of these employees or the tens of thousands of private contractors for the federal government and their voting family members.

Both campaigned on protecting rogue and poor-performing federal workers, pledging to shield bureaucrats from reforms like Schedule F, which turned workers in policy-related roles into at-will employees. 

As a National Security Council legal advisor, Vindman and his brother colluded in reporting President Donald Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky, leading to Trump’s first impeachment. In this, they demonstrated their allegiance to the status quo and willingness to take down an American president to preserve American military aid to their native country of Ukraine. 

In 2022, the brothers started a weapons firm to sell weapons to Ukraine—after Congress gave Ukraine over $53 billion from American taxpayers. The venture appears to have paid off. In 2023, the brothers met with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at the White House, Alexander bought a $1.9 million house in Florida, and Eugene reported earning $125,000 in the first two months of 2024. 

Subramanyam worked in former President Barack Obama’s White House as a technology advisor. He recently sponsored legislation to block Trump’s plans to spread federal jobs to other regions of the country.

Although Vindman and Subramanyam represent the D.C. swamp’s apparatchiks perfectly, Vindman won his seat by less than 8,000 votes, and Subramanyam won his by only 17,000. Despite the high number of bureaucrats, most voters in these districts likely do not agree with leaving loopholes open for non-citizens to vote. These seats are easily winnable next year with strong Republican candidates unbeholden to Big Bureaucracy.

For now, the fight to SAVE American elections for American citizens moves to the senate, where Republicans will likely have to engage in serious horse trading on key issues to convince enough Democrat senators to send it to Trump’s desk.

(READ MORE: Meet the $2 Billion Coalition that Wants Non-Citizen Voting in Our Elections)