Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, caused a stir on Twitter Friday night after he said Democrats in Washington D.C. were “ridiculous” to support a decision allowing non-citizens the opportunity to vote.
“Only Americans should vote in American elections,” said Jordan, prompting backlash.
The Republican’s tweet concerned House Joint Resolution 24, or the “Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022,” which passed the House of Representatives on Thursday.
The resolution seeks to overturn a bill that passed the D.C. Council in October, which opened the local voting process to immigrants.
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Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) appears on Meet the Press in Washington, D.C. Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023. (William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images)
Several people responded to Jordan’s tweet criticizing the lawmaker’s take, while others supported it.
“In state and local elections, all people living legally in the area affected by the outcome of the elections should be able to vote,” the user wrote.
“Another day, another ridiculous distortion,” another responded.
Yet another user asked why he was “meddling in city laws.”
The House voted to overturn the D.C. bill, 260-162. The 162 votes against the resolution were all Democrats, who said the D.C. local ordinance should remain in place.
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Four Republicans and eight Democrats did not vote on the resolution. The House passed a second resolution that overturned a D.C. bill that reduced criminal penalties.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, first introduced the joint resolution ending non-citizen voting on Jan. 31.
Congress “must ensure that these terrible laws do not take effect,” Comer said, Roll Call reported.
He also said the bill “will only exacerbate the ongoing border crisis, subvert the voices of American citizens, and open the door for foreign adversaries to peddle influence in our nation’s capital,” per the report.
Flanked by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-LA, and Rep. Adrian Smith, R-NE, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., talks to reporters during a news conference following a GOP caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on January 10, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
On Thursday, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., vowed that Republicans would overturn the D.C. bill.
“Really? Does anybody in this country think that as someone working at the Chinese embassy here in Washington, D.C., should be voting in the presidential election? Absolutely not,” Emmer said. “It’s insane what they did.”
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He added: “We, the Republicans in the House, are going to reassert some common sense conservative values.”
The House joint resolution is authorized under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973.
The rule allows D.C. residents a say in electing their mayor and city council but gave Congress the ability to overturn any bill passed by that council. Congress has between 30 and 60 days to overturn various legislation passed by the council.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., criticized Republicans for introducing resolutions that seek to overturn D.C. bills. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., called the joint resolutions “profoundly undemocratic, paternalistic,” Roll Call reported.
“D.C. residents, a majority of whom are Black and brown, are worthy and capable of governing themselves,” she said during a floor debate. “Keep your hands off D.C.”
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The vote was the first time since 2015 that the House passed a resolution disapproving a D.C. bill.
It must be cleared by a Democrat-controlled Senate by a simple majority before it takes effect.
Fox News’ Houston Keene contributed to this report.
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