We recently wrote about a dangerous new bill, known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would impose extreme and unnecessary barriers to voter registration. Unfortunately, the bill just passed in the GOP-led House of Representatives, and is going to the Senate for a vote.
If passed, this bill will target anyone who has ever changed their name or who doesn't have access to very specific documents, such as a passport. It also requires any changes in registration to be done in person. This would disproportionately harm married women, LGBTQ+ individuals, disabled people, lower-income citizens, rural voters, and the elderly.
This is voter suppression, plain and simple. Sign now to help us stop this attack on U.S. democracy!
Married women who've changed their last names would be left in a bind, as the bill fails to include proof of name change or marriage certificates as valid documents. With an estimated 69 million married women in the US who have changed their names, this provision alone threatens to silence an entire demographic.
Additionally, the bill would make voter registration more difficult for trans individuals, disabled people, and people living in rural areas who may not have easy access to election offices. Many do not have passports or birth certificates, and requiring them to appear in person to prove their citizenship could leave them disenfranchised, furthering the inequality in our democracy.
The SAVE Act would also end online voter registration and ban voter registration drives. We cannot allow politicians to manipulate the electoral system to silence millions of voters. The Senate must reject the SAVE Act and, instead, focus on expanding voting rights - not restricting them.
Sign now to ask the US Senate to stand up for justice and protect the right of every American to participate in our democracy!
