Padilla’s Voter Inclusion Bill Sparks Senate Showdown

The INVITE Act aims to boost naturalized citizen voting, but GOP opposition and a rival bill threaten voter purges, while ICE’s masked arrests and new border tech stir further controversy.

WASHINGTON — On the anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), immigration policy, civil liberties, and border enforcement converged in the U.S. Senate, where competing visions of national security and civic inclusion were laid bare.

Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced on May 20th the Including New Voters In The Electorate (INVITE) Act, a bill aimed at closing the voter registration gap among naturalized citizens by designating U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field offices as official voter registration agencies. The bill would require USCIS to assist new citizens with registration during naturalization ceremonies.

“Our democracy works best when as many eligible people participate,” Padilla said. “Giving new citizens the tools they need to vote should be the bare minimum.”