Elon Musk weighed in on a bill proposed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., that aims to ensure only American citizens can vote in federal elections, saying those who oppose the measure are “TRAITORS,” while rhetorically asking what the punishment for treason is in the U.S.
Johnson unveiled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, originally pushed by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, at a press conference in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, earlier this year.
Leading up to the July Fourth week-long recess, Johnson was circulating a memo within the House GOP conference, arguing why the bill is necessary.
On Friday, he continued to make his case on Musk’s social media platform, X.
“The SAVE Act will safeguard our elections by ensuring only American citizens vote in federal elections,” the House speaker said before continuing with a series of posts that explained what the legislation does.
According to Johnson, the bill requires state election officials to ask about citizenship before providing applicants with voter registration forms. It also requires an individual to provide proof of citizenship before registering to vote in federal elections, allows state officials to accept a variety of documents to make it easy for citizens to register to vote and provides states with access to a federal agency database in which they can remove noncitizens from voter rolls and confirm citizenship for those who lack proof.
Johnson also said the measure directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to determine whether to begin removal proceedings of noncitizens who have been identified as having registered to vote in federal elections and requires DHS to notify state chief election officials when an individual has been naturalized, allowing them to exercise their new right to vote.
In response to the series of posts, Musk provided his two cents.
“Those who oppose this are traitors. All Caps: TRAITORS,” he said. “What is the penalty for traitors again?”
The Constitution calls on traitors guilty of treason to be sentenced to death or be imprisoned for no less than five years. They are also to be fined no less than $10,000 and be barred from ever holding office in the U.S.
Congress is expected to return to Washington, D.C., Monday.
The timing of the vote happening this month would be significant, coming less than six months before Trump’s White House rematch with President Biden.
Democratic critics of the SAVE Act have argued it is unnecessary because it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.
