Election Skepticism Rises as Immigrants Obtain Citizenship at ‘Fastest Pace in Decades’

“[J]ust three years ago,” Fox News’s Michael Lee reported, “it took roughly 11.5 months for authorities to process a naturalization application.” Today, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USIS) is averaging around 4.9 months, which Lee noted is the “fastest [processing] pace in decades.” And experts are pointing to President Joe Biden as the reason.

Under this White House, over 3.3 million immigrants have been able to obtain U.S. citizenship. There are many factors, as a report by The New York Times pointed out, that help explain these numbers. To start, the Biden administration shortened the naturalization application, reducing it from 20 pages to 14. And although the president raised the application fee from $640 to $710, he “made it easier for low-income applicants to qualify for a discount.” In fact, there are numerous ways the current administration alleviated the process to gaining American citizenship. But the major concern for countless experts, lawmakers, and citizens is how this may affect the upcoming presidential election.

As some have pointed out, the vast number of “newly minted American citizens” could play a major role in potentially “helping sway the result of November’s election.” Chief executive of the company Boundless, Xiao Wang, shared with the NYT, “The surge in naturalization efficiency isn’t just about clearing backlogs; it’s potentially reshaping the electorate, merely months before a pivotal election.” He added, “Every citizenship application could be a vote that decides Senate seats or even the presidency.”

IA group of Republican attorneys general share this concern. In an attempt to secure election integrity, The Washington Times wrote that a “41-page complaint was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas,” where “Kansas, South Carolina, Iowa, Mississippi, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Oklahoma joined Montana in bringing the lawsuit.” The complaint is centered on Biden’s Executive Order 14019, which “directs agencies to facilitate voting registration and aid voters in learning how to vote by mail, among other ways to cast ballots.”

The lawsuit also accuses the Department of Justice of “registering imprisoned felons to vote.” As Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R) stated, “Fair elections are an essential part of our country’s Republic. … I will not stand by while the Biden-Harris administration attempts to shamelessly garner votes by employing its own agencies to register voters and disregard states’ own voter registration systems, putting the integrity of our elections at risk.”

The states explained in more detail:

“Through Executive Order 14019 … President Biden has sought to convert the federal bureaucracy into a voter registration organization and to turn every interaction between a federal bureaucrat and a member of the public into a voter registration pitch. That exceeds any authority executive entities have under federal law, violates the Constitution, threatens States’ attempt to regulate voter registration, and thus ultimately undermines the voter registration systems set up by the States.”

Matt Carpenter, director of Family Research Council Action, explained to The Washington Stand that “unfortunately, with the 2024 presidential election just 80 days away, there are incentives for the Biden-Harris administration to pad voter rolls with as many friendly voters to their campaign as possible.” As such, he added, “There is good reason for Republican attorneys general to investigate the Biden-Harris admin’s implementation of EO 14019.”

Ultimately, Carpenter asserted, “Federal funds are not to be used for partisan electioneering.” But it seems “there are suspicions that the administration has partnered with partisan nongovernment organizations to do just that.” In his analysis, Carpenter explained how “it sure looks as though we have a cynical administration that cares more about clinging to power than it does about avoiding the appearance of impropriety as it relates to the misuse of federal funds for electioneering.” Even so, Carpenter believes there is a proper biblical response.

“Christians should avoid the temptation to similarly fall into cynicism, even if you think the elections won’t be entirely fair,” he said. So what can we do? As Carpenter put it, we can vote. “Tell your like-minded family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, small group members, whoever, to vote.” He urged, “This is a crucial election in so many ways. Future generations are depending on us to leave no stone unturned.” No matter what the other side does this election season, “We cannot give into cynicism or complacency.”

Instead, he insisted, “You can sign up to be a poll worker, you can knock on doors and make calls, you can donate, there is so much you can do” to aid in the outcome of the election. “But as believers,” he concluded, “we know, above all else, that the Lord will hear our prayers, forgive our sin, and heal our land, when we humble ourselves, seek the Lord, and pray.”

AUTHOR

Sarah Holliday

Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.

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