U.S.

Politics World Opinion Media Entertainment Sports Lifestyle Video AI More Login Watch TV

POLITICS

Top red state official demands answers on Biden

executive order 'attempting to register' illegals to vote
Mississippi SOS Michael Watson says the Biden executive order creates 'numerous opportunities' for ineligible voters to
vote
By Andrew Mark Miller Fox News

Published March 11, 2024 4:00am EDT

More from Politics

4 hours ago
Dem hoping to
replace Slotkin
supports letting
local governments
call the shots on ICE
deportations

4 hours ago
Top red state official
demands answers
on Biden executive
order 'attempting to
register' illegals to
vote

18 hours ago
House Speaker
Johnson chastises
Biden for apology to
Laken Riley murder
suspect: 'What an
embarrassment'

18 hours ago
GOP senator
challenges Biden to
clarify Hamas
position after State
Vivek Ramaswamy: Illegal immigration and voter integrity are connected issues of the Union remark
Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy reacts to the Democrats plan for lasting electoral majorities through illegal immigration on The
Ingraham Angle.

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your
account - free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News' Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive . To access the content, check your
,

email and follow the instructions provided.

Having trouble? Click here.

FIRST ON FOX: Mississippi’s Secretary of State has sent a letter to President Biden’s
Department of Justice asking it to stop enforcing a Biden executive order that he warns is
being used to attempt to register ineligible convicts and illegal immigrants to vote.

"As you are aware, on March 7, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order No. 14019
which sought to turn the Department of Justice agencies from their historical missions of
law enforcement to voter registration and get out the vote operations," Mississippi
Secretary of State Michael Watson wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland
this week.

"These efforts are an intrusion into state matters and are a misuse of federal revenue and
resources. In addition, it appears that these efforts have led to agencies under your charge
attempting to register people to vote, including potentially ineligible felons and to co-opt
state and local officials into accomplishing this goal."

The executive order in question was signed by Biden in 2021 and was billed as an attempt
to combat racial discrimination and "protect the right to vote" and instructed government
agencies "consider ways to expand citizens’ opportunities to register to vote and to obtain
information about, and participate in, the electoral process."

AG GARLAND PLEDGES TO FIGHT VOTER ID LAWS, ELECTION INTEGRITY MEASURES

L - President Biden R - Voting booth (Getty Images)

In his letter, Watson outlines concerns that the executive order "forces the U.S. Marshals
Service" to "modify agreements with jails" that require them "to provide voter registration
materials and facilitate voting by mail."

"According to the Marshals Service, they are modifying 936 contracts or intergovernmental
agreements to require state and local government complicity in the potential registration
of ineligible prisoners to vote," the letter states. "It further requires the Department of
Justice to facilitate voter registration and mail voting for individuals in the custody of the
Bureau of Prisons.

"This program creates numerous opportunities for ineligible prisoners to be registered to

vote in Mississippi."

Watson told Fox News Digital that he is not confident the Biden administration is paying
close attention to the voting status of the individuals involved.

NONPARTISAN WATCHDOG RELEASES REPORT OUTLINING TOP ELECTION SECURITY

THREATS FOR 2024: 'A LOT CAN GO SIDEWAYS'

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council in the Indian Treaty Room of
the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"Forgive me for not necessarily trusting the Biden administration but in Mississippi we've
got rules and regulations dealing with who can vote when it comes to felons, there are
disenfranchising crimes in our state and I don't specifically think that the Biden
administration cares crossing those T's and dotting those I's when it comes to making
sure these folks can or can't vote, they're going to register them, including illegal aliens in
custody so we've got major issues and that's what led to writing this letter to Attorney
General Garland," Watson told Fox News Digital.

Watson’s letter explains that the program "provides prisoners with misleading information
concerning their right to both register and vote in Mississippi - a right which they may not
have."

"For example, many of the people in the custody of the Marshals are convicted felons
whom Mississippi law deems ineligible to vote. Additionally, many of those in custody only
have fleeting ties to Mississippi and do not meet the residency requirements necessary to
be a Mississippi voter," the letter says.

WILL ELECTIONS FINALLY BE SECURE AND HONEST IN 2024?

President Joe Biden walks with U.S. Border Patrol agents along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso Texas,
Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Watson wrote that Mississippi jails are being prompted to "work with other reliable
sources of voter information to assist federal prisoners with voter registration, voting by
mail, and notification of upcoming elections."

"We are unaware of any contact with our Office, which begs the question, which
organizations are the Marshals using to accomplish this demand?" The letter asks.

"Many outside groups performing voter registration and vote harvesting services are
partisan entities with a history of being unreliable. There have been documented instances
of these groups providing incorrect directions to voters. It is not proper for the Federal
government to push partisan groups into the voting process in Mississippi or any other
state."

The letter specifically addresses concerns that illegal immigrants in the Mississippi prison
system could potentially be registered to vote through this executive order if the program
is not closely monitored.

"Our understanding is that everyone in the Marshals' custody is given a form advising
them of their right to register and vote," the letter says. "Providing ineligible non-citizens
with information on how to register to vote undoubtedly encourages them to illegally
register to vote, exposing them to legal jeopardy beyond their immigration status."

Watson’s letter says that it is "quite shocking" that the Biden administration would "expend
tax dollars and vital law enforcement resources" on a program "that risks bloating state
voter rolls with ineligible and non-citizen voters" during a time when millions of illegal
immigrants have crossed the southern border.

Handcuffs restrain a suspected illegal immigrant caught with 230 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop north of
Brownsville, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. (Photo by Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images)

Watson told Fox News Digital that this is an "urgent" matter with a presidential election
just 8 months away.

" Ifyou look at what's going on at the border when you've got so many illegal aliens pouring
into our country, imagine the efforts used to get them to register to vote and that's what
this is all about," Watson told Fox News Digital. "It's about control, it's about continuing
their power, and unfortunately that puts our country in a terrible position, so it's immediate
and it's something where we hope they will respect our request to stop the program."

"The information we want to see is which prisons they're working in in Mississippi, we've
asked them to prove to us the documentation, what exactly are you doing in our prisons?
We want to make sure we understand which prisoners you've been talking to, so we can
understand whether or not they're eligible to vote and I think it's incumbent upon all of the
states to take this notice up and to push back as hard as we can because with this
election coming up in November it is incredibly important to the future of our country.
What we have left of it."

Voters fill out their ballots at a school gymnasium (John Moore/Getty Images)

Honest Elections Project Executive Director Jason Snead told Fox News Digital he
applauds Watson’s letter warning about a program that "puts election integrity and voter
confidence at risk" for "political gain."

"The Biden Administration is aggressively pursuing a partisan get-out-the-vote scheme

using taxpayer dollars," Snead said. "Nothing is off the table, from using law enforcement
resources to potentially register ineligible voters and even non-citizens, to the recent
announcement that the administration will use taxpayer dollars to pay students to
coordinate with left-wing organizations and mobilize youth voters."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Department of Justice for comment
but did not receive a response.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to
AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

U.S. Politics World Opinion Media Entertainment

Crime Executive U.N. FOX Nation Coverage Celebrity News
Military Senate Conflicts Movies
Education House Terrorism TV News
Terror Judiciary Disasters Music News
Immigration Foreign Policy Global Economy Style News
Economy Polls Environment Entertainment Video
Personal Freedoms Elections Religion
Fox News Investigates Scandals
Digital Originals

Sports Lifestyle FOX Business Science & Tech Watch Live About
NFL Health Personal Finance Air & Space FOX News Shows Contact Us
College Football Food & Drink Economy Security Programming Schedule Careers
MLB Auto Markets Innovation On Air Personalities Fox Around the World
NBA Travel & Outdoors Watchlist Video Games Full Episodes Advertise With Us
NHL Real Estate Lifestyle Military Tech Show Clips Media Relations
Golf House & Home Real Estate Planet Earth News Clips Corporate Information
Tennis Fitness + Well-being Tech Wild Nature Compliance
Soccer Style & Beauty
UFC Family
WWE Faith

Apps & Products

FOX News Go
FOX Weather
FOX Nation
FOX News Shop
FOX News Radio
Outkick
Newsletters
Podcasts

New Terms of Use New Privacy Policy Your Privacy Choices Closed Caption Policy Help Contact Us Accessibility Statement

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or
delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions . Legal Statement . Mutual Fund and ETF
data provided by Refinitiv Lipper .