Black bishop Earl Walker Jackson criticizes claims that voter ID laws disenfranchise Black Americans, calling them “deeply insulting” amid revelations of noncitizen registrations affecting U.S. elections.
Earl Walker Jackson, a prominent Black bishop and author, has strongly condemned the assertion that voter ID laws disproportionately affect minorities, labeling it as “deeply insulting” and “deeply offensive.” His remarks come in the wake of a report revealing that approximately 30,000 noncitizens were erroneously registered to vote across 11 states.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Jackson, a nondenominational Christian leader and a descendant of enslaved ancestors, expressed his concerns about noncitizen voting, which he believes undermines the rights of American citizens. He stated, “Why the Democrats are so committed to this can only be explained one way: they think it empowers people who shouldn’t vote to vote, and they believe those people are going to vote for them.”
Jackson characterized the situation as a “power grab,” emphasizing that each vote cast by a noncitizen effectively cancels out the vote of a legitimate American citizen. He argued that this practice is both illegal and inappropriate, asserting that it threatens the integrity of the electoral process.
The report from Reuters indicated that the erroneous registrations stemmed from “software glitches and clerical errors,” suggesting that these were inadvertent bureaucratic failures rather than organized efforts to register immigrants illegally. The investigation highlighted that these errors occurred in states including California, Illinois, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. However, the report did not clarify how many noncitizens actually participated in elections.
Don Palmer, a senior legal fellow for election integrity at the Heritage Foundation, shared his perspective with Fox News Digital, arguing that the reported figure of 30,000 noncitizens is likely an undercount. “I think it’s much more because we don’t know in a lot of states, either they have not conducted the audits or they’re not using tools to find noncitizens that may have accidentally been placed on the rolls,” he stated.
Palmer called for more stringent verification processes to ensure that only eligible citizens are registered to vote. He emphasized the need for a reliable system to verify citizenship, similar to the identification requirements in place when obtaining a driver’s license or identification card.
Upon learning of the 30,000 noncitizen registrations, Jackson expressed disappointment but not surprise. “I wonder if it’s more,” he remarked, noting that Democrats have often dismissed concerns about noncitizen voting. “We’ve been told, particularly by Democrats, that that’s not happening, that there’s nothing to see here, and yet we hear again and again documentation that it is happening.”
Jackson also criticized the narrative that links voter ID requirements to racism, particularly the comparison to Jim Crow laws. “Forgive me for being personal about this for a moment, but I just find this deeply insulting and deeply offensive because the implication is that somehow if you are Black, no matter how wealthy, educated, well-to-do, somehow getting an ID is a problem for you,” he said.
He further illustrated his point by recounting his experience at a hotel, where he was asked for identification upon check-in. “Should I say, ‘Wait a minute, oh, you’re discriminating against me. You know Black people can’t get I.D.s; how dare you ask?’ I mean, it’s ridiculous,” he remarked.
Jackson concluded his comments by expressing his compassion for undocumented immigrants but reiterated that they do not have the right to vote in U.S. elections. “I don’t hate illegal aliens, I don’t want to see them harmed or hurt, but they don’t have a right to vote in our elections, and they shouldn’t be permitted to do so,” he stated. He acknowledged that critics might label him as a bigot for his views, but he believes that most Americans are simply trying to uphold the integrity of the electoral system.
These discussions surrounding voter ID laws and noncitizen registrations continue to evoke strong opinions across the political spectrum, highlighting the ongoing debate about election integrity in the United States.
According to Reuters, the issue of noncitizen voting remains a contentious topic, with implications for future electoral policies and practices.