1 in 10 eligible U.S. voters say they can’t easily show proof of their citizenship

1 in 10 eligible U.S. voters say they can’t easily show proof of their citizenship toggle caption Brynn Anderson/AP Top Republicans are lining up behind a proposal to require proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration in federal elections. The results fall in line with longstanding concerns among many election experts and voting rights advocates, who have warned that proposals — including the new Republican-backed bill in the U.S. House of Representatives — to require people to show documentary proof of citizenship when signing up to vote in federal elections could risk keeping eligible voters from casting ballots. And we really need to think about the far-reaching implications for that when it comes to economic and social and voting access,” says Lauren Kunis, executive director of VoteRiders, a voting rights organization focused on voter ID issues that How election officials verify citizenship without documents Federal law requires states to accept registration forms that call for applicants to swear under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens and review this warning: “If I have provided false information, I may be fined, imprisoned, or deported from or refused entry to the United States.” Most states also use applicants’ driver’s license or Social Security numbers to check people’s citizenship information in government agency databases. It's going to hit everybody.” In New Hampshire, Republican-led proposals would change the state’s election laws to require proof of citizenship when people register to vote in the state for the first time.