1. United States
2. Md.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose Senate Bill 128, which would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require proof of United States citizenship for federal election voter registration. This bill, introduced by Senator Mike Lee on January 16, 2025, and currently pending in the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, would create unnecessary barriers to voter registration that disproportionately harm eligible citizens. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 was designed to make voter registration more accessible while maintaining election integrity. SB128 undermines this balance by imposing documentary proof requirements that many eligible citizens lack. Research consistently shows that millions of Americans do not have ready access to citizenship documents like birth certificates or passports. Obtaining these documents requires time, money, and bureaucratic navigation that creates particular hardships for elderly voters, low-income citizens, and people with disabilities. This requirement solves a problem that does not exist at scale. Noncitizen voting in federal elections is already illegal and extraordinarily rare. The existing system, which requires attestation of citizenship under penalty of perjury, provides strong deterrence. Adding documentary requirements would not meaningfully improve election security but would prevent thousands of eligible voters from exercising their constitutional rights. The bill's 50 Republican sponsors frame this as an election integrity measure, but the practical effect would be voter suppression. States that have implemented similar requirements have seen significant drops in registration rates among eligible citizens, particularly in communities of color and among naturalized citizens who face additional obstacles obtaining documentation. I ask you to oppose SB128 and protect the accessibility provisions of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Voting rights should not depend on possession of specific documents. Our democracy is strengthened when all eligible citizens can participate, not when we erect barriers that exclude qualified voters while providing negligible security benefits.