1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I urge you to vote no on HB7296, the SAVE America Act, which would create substantial barriers to voter registration for eligible citizens while addressing a virtually non-existent problem. This legislation mandates documentary proof of United States citizenship for all federal voter registration, requiring documents like REAL ID-compliant identification, passports, or birth certificates that millions of eligible Americans do not possess. The documentary requirements will disproportionately harm elderly citizens who lack birth certificates, naturalized citizens who have lost documentation, Native Americans from tribes with limited vital records systems, and low-income individuals who cannot afford to obtain required documents. These costs function as a de facto poll tax, raising serious constitutional concerns under the Twenty-Fourth Amendment. The legislation solves a problem that does not exist, as documented instances of non-citizen voting are exceedingly rare, while it will prevent thousands of eligible citizens from exercising their fundamental right to vote. The Act imposes massive unfunded mandates on states, requiring them to establish verification systems, conduct quarterly submissions to the Department of Homeland Security's SAVE program beginning June 1, 2025, and maintain ongoing database access without any dedicated federal funding. States must achieve full compliance by January 30, 2026. These requirements will strain already limited election administration budgets and may force reductions in other essential voter services. The SAVE system and other federal databases have documented error rates that could result in eligible citizens being improperly removed from voter rolls or denied registration. The private right of action provision will expose election officials to constant litigation, creating defensive registration practices that further restrict access rather than protecting it. This legislation represents voter suppression disguised as election security. I ask you to protect the fundamental right to vote by opposing HB7296 and instead supporting measures that expand access for all eligible citizens.