Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22).

WASHINGTON D.C. – Local Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22),  co-chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, announced Thursday she is supporting the Protecting Our Democracy by Preventing Foreign Citizens from Voting Act.

The act would prohibit federal funds from being provided to state and local governments that allow non-citizens to vote in any federal, state, or local election. 

“The right to vote is sacred, and it will only stay that way if we ensure this remains a privilege exclusively for Americans,” said Tenney.

“Any federal, state, or local entity that chooses to allow non-citizens to vote and influence the outcome of elections at any level should not receive one more dime from the American taxpayers. I will continue fighting to preserve the integrity of our elections and ensure we work to restore voter confidence, not diminish it.”

Recently, the New York City council approved a measure that allows an estimated 800,000 noncitizens to vote in municipal elections.

Tenney said the measure allowing noncitizens to vote stands in violation of New York’s constitution, which states,  “Every citizen shall be entitled to vote at every election for all officers elected by the people and upon all questions submitted to the vote of the people provided that such citizen is eighteen years of age or over and shall have been a resident of this state, and of the county, city, or village for 30 days next preceding an election.”