Feds Force S.C. To Give Voter Registration To Foreign Nationals

As South Carolina law enforcement investigates allegations a state agency is handing out voter registration forms to foreign nationals, an agency official tells The Federalist that federal law has tied the state's hands.

Jeff Leieritz, a spokesman for the state's Department of Health and Human Services, says the department, as the state's Medicaid agency, is mandated to provide voter registration information under Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act Of 1993.

"SCDHHS does not believe the state Medicaid agency should have a role in voter registration. However, absent the legal authority to make this change, SCDHHS remains required by federal law to provide voter registration application forms with each Medicaid application," Leieritz said in a statement Monday to The Federalist.

On, Wednesday, the Freedom Caucus sent Gov. Henry McMaster a letter expressing its "Grave concern with this breach of election integrity." They asked that the state inspector general's office launch an immediate investigation and that the governor order state agencies to "Cease and desist distributing voter registration and voter declination forms to non-citizens."

Morgan and the Freedom Caucus are proposing adding a provision in the state budget prohibiting state money from funding the distribution of voter registration information to foreign nationals at South Carolina agencies.

"It's crazy to me that we are at a place in America where we have government employees and government agencies who are willing to actively give out voter registration forms to noncitizens. And if it's happening in South Carolina, you'd better believe it's happening all over especially the swing states."

"The SEC is actively auditing voter data through the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program database to ensure that only U.S. citizens are included on the active list of registered voters. Regardless of the method of registration, no voter may be registered in South Carolina without signing an oath swearing that they are a citizen of the United States," the agency states on its website. 

https://thefederalist.com/2024/05/07/south-carolina-agency-the-feds-force-us-to-give-voter-registration-to-foreign-nationals/