GOP pushes ahead with citizenship voting bill. Some state election officials say it’s problematic

WASHINGTON — The centerpiece election legislation from congressional Republicans would require voters to prove their citizenship when registering, raising concerns among state election officials about how it would be implemented and who would pay for it. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said there is no federal database that states can use to confirm a person’s citizenship status. “Every time there’s federal legislation, I’ve got concerns, especially when the feds talk about things that the states typically do on a year-by-year, day-to-day basis,” said Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican. “Just because you think it’ll work in your state doesn’t mean it will work in everybody else’s state.” Republicans in Congress have said the current process for registering voters is filled with loopholes that have allowed people who are not U.S. citizens to vote in past elections and relies on a system in which voters sign an oath that they are a citizen. “If you talk to the vast majority of election officials, they will tell you that federal investment in our elections is sorely needed, especially if folks in Congress are going to be talking about things like the SAVE Act, which will only increase costs of running elections and increase federal oversight and involvement in our elections,” said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat.