1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. This legislation would create unnecessary barriers that prevent millions of eligible Americans from exercising their constitutional right to vote while solving a problem that does not exist. More than 21 million Americans lack access to the additional documentation the SAVE Act would require. The bill would prevent most voters from registering with just their driver's license because licenses typically don't indicate citizenship. Instead, voters would need less common documents like a U.S. passport or birth certificate. This requirement would disproportionately impact people of color, married individuals who changed their names, young people, and elderly Americans. The bill's reach extends beyond new registrations. Every time a registered voter updates their address or political party, they would need to provide these documents again. This would severely threaten mail registration, which more than 7 million Americans used in 2022, and require complete overhauls of online registration systems that nearly 11 million voters relied on that same year. Perhaps most troubling, the SAVE Act would mandate frequent voter purges based on faulty data that have historically removed eligible American citizens from voter rolls. It would also threaten election workers with up to five years in prison if they help register someone without correct documents, even if that person is actually a citizen. This creates a chilling effect on officials simply trying to do their jobs. Laws already exist to ensure only citizens vote, including deportation for non-citizens who attempt to vote. The SAVE Act adds no meaningful security while silencing American voices through unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles. I urge you to vote against this legislation and protect every eligible citizen's access to the ballot box.