Illegal voting

by Helen Sabin, Corvallis

Are illegals voting? Yes!

A man showed me a copy of a House bill, Montana HB402, that he got from a “John Birch Society (JBS) get-together.” One of the sentences on the bill had been highlighted. The man pointed out that the highlighting “guided readers using implication and innuendo” to think that the “sponsors of the House bill” wanted “illegals to vote.”  

The man personally knew one of the bill’s sponsors, Representative David Bedey, and he said that Bedey would NEVER have wanted non-citizens to vote. Bedey served in the Army for over thirty years, putting his life on the line to preserve this country as well as the right of citizens only to vote. So, I contacted Bedey to confirm what the man had told me.

Bedey’s explanation and information on HB-402:

Federal Law, or the National Voter Registration Act stipulates (requires) that a person only need to attest (check a block and sign) that he or she is a citizen and therefore that person MUST BE TREATED AS A CITIZEN when it comes to registering to vote.  

He added that Federal Courts, based on the Supremacy Clause and the 14th Amendment, have taken the position that the Act “prohibits” states from requiring proof of citizenship before registering. 

Bedey stated that anyone, who is NOT a citizen, but declares that they are and are caught lying about their citizenship status, can face fines, felonies, and jail sentences. However, State laws that attempt to prevent registration without non-citizen status being proven before an election have uniformly been declared unconstitutional. 

According to Bedey, “…House Bill 402 was written to establish a “process in State law” that is compliant with the National Registration Act requirement to allow registration UNLESS… there is “proof” the “elector” is not a citizen. The “process” the sponsors wanted to get passed allowed for strong punishment if it is established after the election that the individual was not authorized to vote. 

So why the highlighting? The Birchers have a desperate desire to control the political narrative and often use lies of omission and commission to try to prove their points. They will take things out of context, distort events or persons actions, and imply something that is not true hoping to deceive their audience. Such was done in HB402 which was designed by Bedey and attorney Clay Leland, from the Secretary of State’s office, to do exactly the opposite of what the JBS implied. NONE of the sponsors wanted illegals to vote. 

The Birchers know that most people won’t, can’t, or don’t have the time to learn all the information they need to know to make good judgments. Instead, they will make assumptions. Don’t be duped. Talk to our legislators! Their contact information is available at www.leg.mt.gov.  

To learn where our other House representatives stand on the issue, I also contacted Representatives Rusk (HD88) and Binkley (HD85), and both agreed that the highlighted version of HB402 was intended to misinform and deceive readers. They voted YES on the bill while Ron Marshall (HD 87, Victor) voted NO on the bill. (I sent him an email to ask why but had not heard back from him.)  If you are interested, contact him. www.leg.mt.gov. You can also see how other house members voted on this bill: http://laws.leg.mt.gov/legprd/LAW0211W$BLAC.VoteTabulation?P_VOTE_SEQ=H2806&P_SESS=20231

Unfortunately, the false narrative spread by members of JBS led to the defeat of the legislation that would have given the State Government a powerful tool to combat illegal voting in Montana. It would have enhanced election integrity in Montana, not hurt it. See why election of judges matters?  

Before becoming excited or emotional about information, remember the advice from Abraham Lincoln when he stated, “…America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”  

Do NOT assist passing along myths, lies and legends. Please double check information and go to the actual source of the information to confirm what you see, hear, and read! Thanks!