Eugene Vindman, D-07 and Suhas Subramanyam, D-10 are newly elected Virginia Reps. They seem to be fine with letting citizens vote. On April 10, they voted with most of their Democrat counterparts against the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act which required proof of U.S. citizenry to vote in federal election.

The bill was passed on 11 April with a vote of 220-208. Only four Democrats voted in favor: Jared Golden, ME-02; Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, WA-03; Henry Cuellar, TX-28 and Ed Case, HI-01.

The SAVE Act amends National Voter Registration Act of 1993 by requiring individuals to provide a passport or birth certificate (or REAL ID compliant ID) when registering to cast a ballot in federal elections. The SAVE Act also mandates that states remove non-citizens’ names from voter lists and imposes penalties on election officials who register ineligibles.

The bill now moves to the Senate where Sen. Mike Lee, R-UT, has already introduced a similar measure (S.128). The path of the bill in the upper chamber is still difficult, and it will take at least seven Democrat senators for it to be passed.

What are the reasons Vindman and Subramanyam might oppose a crackdown on non-citizens voting?

Democrats have incorrectly described the SAVE Act’s voter suppression tactics, but Vindman and Subramanyam are not likely to care if some non-citizens slip through.

It’s not surprising that they oppose the SAVE Act, given their views on election integrity and what they believe Trump and his supporters to be a threat.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Act was cosponsored by both and. It would have federalized voting and locked Republicans out of office.

Vindman, whose twin is the impeachment soldier Alexander Vindman, shared a classic Morning Joe meltdown regarding the January 6 Riot, and added: “What happened in January 6, 2021 can never be repeated. Our democracy is at stake. “We cannot elect leaders that normalize rioting, insurrection and terrorism.”

Subramanyam too believes the 6th of January threatened “our fragile democracy institutions.”

It would make sense for them to do all they can to ensure that Trump and his supporters lose.

These districts are home to a large number of immigrants. Subramanyam’s district has a share of foreign-born citizens that is nearly double the state average (12%).

Rarely do polling companies ask non-citizens about their views on U.S. political issues. Naturalized citizens voting patterns are the best way to determine how they might vote, if given a chance.

The National Partnership for New Americans and the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at UC San Diego surveyed 2,678 American naturalized citizens shortly before the election last year and found that they are a valuable resource for the Democrat Party. The turnout for the 2024 elections was 63.7 percent. However, a poll revealed that 97.3 per cent of naturalized Americans “probably” or “definitely” will vote. A similar poll showed 86.8 per cent of naturalized Americans voted during the 2020 election.

Kamala Harris was the leader among these eligible immigrants, with 53.6 percent compared to 38.3 percentage points.

The Ultimate Swamp Creatures

Vindman, and Subramanyam both represent Big Bureaucracy better than the majority of Congress. Vindman and Subramanyam are both representatives of the swamp in Washington, D.C. Their careers reflect their cozy relationship with this bureaucracy, which fuels their political base.

Vindman has 56,000 federal workers in his district, while Subramanyam has 34,000. It’s important to note that this does not include the immediate families of the employees, or the tens and thousands of contractors who work for the federal government, as well as their voting family.

Both candidates ran on the promise to protect rogue federal workers and those who perform poorly. They pledged to shield bureaucrats against reforms such as Schedules F which made workers in roles related with policy into at-will workers.

Vindman, a National Security Council Legal Advisor, and his brother colluded to report President Donald Trump’s call with Ukrainian president Volodymir Zelensky. This led to Trump’s first impeachment. They showed their loyalty to the status-quo by collaborating with their brother to report on President Donald Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky. This led to Trump’s first impeachment.

In 2022 the brothers launched, a weapons company to sell weapons in Ukraine after Congress had given Ukraine $53 billion dollars from American taxpayers. The business venture seems to have been a success. The brothers met Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor, at the White House in 2023. Alexander purchased a $1.9m house in Florida and Eugene earned $125,000 during the first two months in 2024.

Subramanyam was a technology adviser in the White House of former President Barack Obama. He recently sponsored legislation in order to stop Trump’s plans for spreading federal jobs across the country.

Vindman’s seat was won by less than 8,000 voters, while Subramanyam’s by just 17,000 votes. Most voters in these districts are likely to be against leaving voting loopholes for non-citizens. Next year, these seats can be easily won by strong Republican candidates who are not bound to Big Bureaucracy.

The fight to SAVE American Elections for American Citizens now moves to the senate. Republicans will have to engage seriously in horse trading over key issues in order to convince enough Democrat Senators to send the bill to Trump’s desk.