Palmer, Britt Re-Introduce “Citizen Ballot Protection Act” to Strengthen Voter Verification

U.S. Representative Gary Palmer (R-AL6) and Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) have re-introduced legislation aimed at tightening voter registration rules by requiring proof of U.S. citizenship. The measure, called the Citizen Ballot Protection Act, would amend the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to explicitly allow States to demand documentary evidence of citizenship when someone registers by mail.

The bill would permit States to include a requirement for proof of citizenship on both the federal mail-in voter registration form and any State versions of that form.

Legislatively, this would reverse part of the impact of a 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision—Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.—which barred States from imposing documentary proof of citizenship as a condition when using the federal registration form.

Rep. Palmer stressed that Americans deserve secure elections:

“The Citizen Ballot Protection Act is a great step towards restoring faith in the ability to conduct free and fair elections and preventing illegally cast ballots from swaying the outcome.”

Sen. Britt framed voting as a “sacred right” reserved for U.S. citizens:

“Voting in our country is a sacred right that must solely be limited to American citizens. To allow States to uphold this principle should be simple commonsense… It should not be controversial that States have the legal right to prevent noncitizens ­– including illegal aliens and official representatives of foreign adversaries – from voting in State and Federal elections.”

She also expressed concern over cities that permit noncitizens to vote locally, saying such policies “insult those American citizens who came to our country legally … and undermine faith in our entire electoral system.”

Supporters argue the current federal registration framework under the NVRA lacks strong mechanisms for States to verify citizenship.

Sen. Britt has raised this issue at a Senate Rules Committee hearing, saying that many States simply don’t have reliable tools to confirm whether registrants are citizens.

Rep. Palmer first introduced this bill in earlier Congresses, including the 117th and 118th.

The bill comes at a time of growing debate over election integrity. Critics in prior sessions have questioned whether stricter proof-of-citizenship laws could exclude eligible voters who lack readily available documentation.

According to the 2024 Committee report, the bill would correct a statutory interpretation issue—requiring the Election Assistance Commission (not the Federal Election Commission) to include State-specific citizenship instructions.

The bill as currently presented is intended to restore constitutional power to the States: the ability to set reasonable voter qualifications.

The full text of the bill is available HERE.