What's the big deal with needing "Proof of Citizenship" to vote?

 One of the Republican big talking points is that illegal aliens are voting Democratic, and that is why they win. This is incorrect. Illegal aliens cannot vote. Despite near-constant complaints from Republicans, there are very few instances of illegal aliens voting and none where it makes any difference at all.

So why are Republicans so gung-ho that we need to have "proof of citizenship" to register to vote (although not to continue to vote). And why are Democrats so against it?

It comes down to who can get to vote. Most Americans do not have Passports. That is one of the ways to register if this passes. Less than 1/2 of citizens have a passport. Less than 90% of Americans have aan "Authorized" birth certificate, the other way to register.

In America, to get an authorized birth certificate, you have to request one, sometimes in person, from either your county or your city—it depends. Some areas let you request via mail, but it is a process that usually requires notarization from a person in your state.

So let's look at a poor single mother of any race. 

1. She has to contact the city or state of her birth and request information on how to get her birth certificate. 
1. This is the first big hurdle for many people. Some don't know where they were born. IN some places in the South, they did not register live births for decades. This is particularly true for Blacks and Hispanics.
2. If they don't require her to show up at the courthouse, she needs to get a form by mail (sometimes by email - which she may or may not have).
1. Yes, some locals you have to visit in person to get a birth certificate.
3. She fills out the form and then has to find a notary and get it notarized ($).
4. She has to send in the form AND the money required from the city or county (more $).
5. She waits a week to 2 months to get her birth certificate.
6. Then, she has to go to a place to physically show her birth certificate. These places will only be located in some areas, so she must get there ($ and time). Talking off work, having coverage from the children while she is gone (more $).
7. Then she can vote. 3 weeks to 3 months later.

The less money you have, the more impossible this is. Now, if the requirement was a Driver's License, that would be cool to me. Or proof of residency, which includes a gun license in many states, would also be cool. But the Republicans are trying to tie the right to vote to the ability to afford it in terms of time and money.

Cheaters.

The speaker announced last week that he planned to link a government funding bill to legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. The package would keep spending levels mostly steady, punting a government shutdown deadline currently set to hit on Oct. 1 to March 28.

Politico (link)