The Voter Participation Center (VPC) and Center for Voter Information (CVI) strongly condemn the House’s passage of the SAVE Act – an extreme voter suppression bill disguised as reform. The SAVE Act makes it virtually impossible for non-profit, non-partisan organizations to help eligible Americans register to vote. We are calling on members of the Senate to vote no on the SAVE Act, to take a stand against clear disenfranchisement of eligible voters, and to protect the crucial work of organizations like ours that register and turn out voters from underrepresented communities.
The SAVE Act claims to solve the non-existent problem of “noncitizen voting” by creating a federal standard for proving citizenship during voter registration. The reality is that noncitizen voting isn’t happening and is already illegal. States have developed effective tools to ensure that only citizens vote. This legislation is a solution in search of a problem.
The SAVE Act would require all Americans to provide documentary proof of citizenship in person to register to vote or update their voter registration information. Only a very small list of documents, like a passport or notarized birth certificate, would qualify as proof of citizenship. Driver’s licenses, including REAL IDs, as well military or tribal IDs would not be sufficient forms of documentary proof. The in-person requirement would prevent voters from being able to register or update their registration by mail, or online – a tool that many voters rely on and that is integral to the outreach that we do to eligible Americans. It would also put an incredible burden on voters who live in rural America, who may have to travel hours to register in person.
The strict proof of citizenship requirements would negatively impact and disenfranchise American citizens, 21 million of which do not currently have access to documentary proof of citizenship. The negative effects of the SAVE Act would also disproportionately impact already underrepresented groups like women, people of color, trans individuals, and young people.
It is vital that the Senate stand with the voters on this issue and make it clear that they do not support measures that make it harder for people to vote.
“This is not the time to stand idly by while voters are stripped of their rights. Our senators, regardless of party, must speak up and make it clear that voter suppression has no place in our elections. They have the power to stop this legislation dead in its tracks,” said Tom Lopach, President and CEO of the Voter Participation Center (VPC) and Center for Voter Information (CVI), “The right to vote is not a partisan issue. The House of Representatives has chosen to normalize voter suppression and conspiracy theories about noncitizen voting. However, the Senate still has a chance to vote no on the SAVE Act and affirm that elections are a contest of ideas, not a contest of who gets to vote.”
The Voter Participation Center and Center for Voter Information are non-profit, non-partisan organizations founded in 2003 to help members of the New American Majority – unmarried women, people of color and young people – register and vote. Since then, the organizations have helped over 6 million people register and cast ballots.