As a resident of Chautauqua County, I stand 100% behind Congressman Langworthy for voting to pass the SAVE Act–because let’s get one thing straight: only American citizens should be voting in American elections. That’s not extreme. That’s common sense. The fact that this bill isn’t supported across party lines is not just disappointing–it’s downright alarming.

Foreign interference in our elections is illegal. Non-citizens voting? Also illegal. Yet somehow, we keep watching Democrats chip away at laws and safeguards that were put in place to protect the sanctity of our vote. And no–they’re not openly registering illegal immigrants to vote (not yet, anyway). What they are doing is far sneakier: they’re working to change the rules so that what used to be illegal suddenly becomes legal. Confused? That’s exactly the point.

Let’s talk about New York City. In 2022, they passed a law to let illegal immigrants vote in local elections. That’s not some right-wing conspiracy theory–it happened. Thankfully, it got struck down by the courts after Republicans stepped in and sued. But the fact that it even passed in the first place should send a chill down your spine.

And this isn’t new. Back in 2017, under Andrew Cuomo and a Democrat-controlled state legislature, New York passed the Green Light Law. This let undocumented immigrants get driver’s licenses without needing to prove legal residency or citizenship. Now here’s where the trap is set: when you register to vote in New York, you use your DMV ID or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Combine that with the 2020 Motor Voter law–which automatically registers people to vote at the DMV unless they manually opt out–and suddenly, the floodgates are wide open for non-citizens to get swept onto the voter rolls.

To make matters worse, the Green Light Law also blocks the DMV from sharing data with federal law enforcement. So not only is our voter system being compromised, but now federal investigations are being hamstrung too.

And let’s not forget: New York State dragged its feet for nearly 20 years to implement the federal REAL ID law from 2005. Why? Because the Green Light Law and all the policies that followed pushed the state further and further away from federal standards. They didn’t delay REAL ID because they couldn’t–they delayed it because they wouldn’t.

New York has become the poster child for bending over backwards to accommodate illegal immigrants, while bending the rules of our elections in the process. It’s a dangerous game–and it’s not just about New York. What starts here can spread fast.

That’s why the SAVE Act is so important. It shuts the door on this nonsense and reinforces what should be an unshakable principle: only U.S. citizens vote in U.S. elections. Period. I’m proud to support Congressman Langworthy for backing this bill and fighting for election integrity, because if we lose that, we lose everything.

Jack Shea Student at St.Bonaventure University & Life-long Resident of Chautauqua County