1. United States
2. Md.
3. Letter

Republicans are once again pushing for a series of voter suppression bills–all variations of their infamous “SAVE Act” which would create unnecessary obstacles for millions of eligible Americans trying to register to vote.  This voter suppression legislation would require every voter to show proof of citizenship, like a passport or original birth certificate bearing their current legal name, when registering to vote in federal elections. That might sound simple, but the reality is that millions of eligible voters don’t have these documents readily available. Because these bills would require showing this proof in person, they would eliminate online and mail-in voter registration. These bills wouldn’t improve election security–they would just make it significantly harder for everyday Americans to vote. If passed, these voter suppression laws would disproportionately impact: -Married women and others who have changed their last names, many of whom don’t have birth certificates matching their legal name -Trans and nonbinary people -Naturalized citizens who could face additional barriers and intimidation -Military members, tribal citizens, and working-class Americans, who may not have easy access to these documents  -Rural Americans who would no longer have access to online and mail-in voting And others!  We’ve seen the damage of similar laws in states like Kansas and Arizona, where thousands of eligible voters were blocked from registering. Those without citizenship status are already barred from voting in federal elections, and states have secure systems in place to verify voter eligibility. These bills are unnecessary.