In a disturbing development, President Biden’s Department of Justice is attempting to weaponize federal agencies to register ineligible felons and illegal immigrants to vote in Mississippi, according to a letter sent by Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The concerning efforts stem from Biden’s Executive Order No. 14019, issued in March 2021, which Secretary Watson asserts has improperly shifted the focus of DOJ agencies away from law enforcement and towards partisan voter registration drives.
“These efforts are an intrusion into state matters and are a misuse of federal revenue and resources,” Watson wrote to AG Garland, pulling no punches. “In addition, it appears that these efforts have led to agencies under your charge attempting to register people to vote, including potentially ineligible felons and to co-opt state and local officials into accomplishing this goal.”
The executive order in question, ostensibly aimed at protecting voting rights and combating racial discrimination, broadly directs federal agencies to expand voter registration opportunities.
However, in practice it appears to be facilitating the improper registration of individuals who are ineligible to vote under Mississippi law.
As outlined in Watson’s letter, the U.S. Marshals Service is being compelled to modify nearly a thousand jail contracts and agreements to require the provision of voter registration materials and mail-in voting to prisoners – many of whom are convicted felons barred from voting due to disenfranchising crimes.
The DOJ is also facilitating voter registration for federal prisoners.
“This program creates numerous opportunities for ineligible prisoners to be registered to vote in Mississippi,” Watson warned. He expressed a lack of confidence that the Biden administration is properly vetting the eligibility of the individuals involved, telling Fox News Digital: “Forgive me for not necessarily trusting the Biden administration but in Mississippi we’ve got rules and regulations dealing with who can vote when it comes to felons…I don’t specifically think that the Biden administration cares crossing those T’s and dotting those I’s.”
Even more alarmingly, the letter indicates that everyone in the Marshals’ custody, including illegal immigrants, is being provided with voter registration information and forms. “Providing ineligible non-citizens with information on how to register to vote undoubtedly encourages them to illegally register to vote, exposing them to legal jeopardy beyond their immigration status,” Watson pointed out.
It is indeed shocking that the Biden DOJ would devote taxpayer money and critical law enforcement resources to a program that threatens to pollute state voter rolls with ineligible and non-citizen voters.
This misguided push comes at a time when illegal border crossings are at crisis levels.
Texas continues border wall construction in Maverick County.
Until President Biden steps up and does his job as Commander-in-Chief, Texas will build border barriers to keep our country safe. pic.twitter.com/8NDffrLgKf
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) March 10, 2024
As Jason Snead, Executive Director of the Honest Elections Project, put it: “The Biden Administration is aggressively pursuing a partisan get-out-the-vote scheme using taxpayer dollars. Nothing is off the table, from using law enforcement resources to potentially register ineligible voters and even non-citizens, to the recent announcement that the administration will use taxpayer dollars to pay students to coordinate with left-wing organizations and mobilize youth voters.”
With a pivotal presidential election just months away, this federal overreach into Mississippi’s elections is an urgent matter that demands immediate attention and pushback. “If you look at what’s going on at the border when you’ve got so many illegal aliens pouring into our country, imagine the efforts used to get them to register to vote and that’s what this is all about,” Watson said. “It’s about control, it’s about continuing their power, and unfortunately that puts our country in a terrible position.”
Every state must take notice of this egregious abuse of power and vigorously resist the Biden administration’s attempts to undermine election integrity for partisan gain.
The future of our republic hangs in the balance.
It is imperative that the courts swiftly intervene to halt this executive order and protect the sanctity of our elections before irreparable damage is done.
The rule of law must prevail over this blatant power grab.
