1. United States
2. Kan.
3. Letter

I am writing as one of your constituents to urge you in the strongest possible terms to vote NO on the SAVE Act. I believe in secure elections. I believe only eligible citizens should vote. But I also believe that every eligible citizen should be able to exercise that right without unnecessary barriers. In my view, the SAVE Act does not strike that balance. Supporters say the bill is about election integrity. Yet there is already a federal requirement that individuals attest, under penalty of perjury, that they are U.S. citizens when they register to vote. States also have processes for verifying voter eligibility. The SAVE Act would instead require many Americans to produce documentary proof of citizenship in person, creating new obstacles for people who are already legally entitled to vote. The burden of this legislation would not fall equally on all Americans. Millions of citizens do not have immediate access to a passport or an original birth certificate. Married women who changed their last names could face additional hurdles if the name on their birth certificate does not match their current legal name. Military families, students, rural voters, elderly Americans, and people affected by natural disasters or lost records could all encounter unnecessary barriers despite being fully eligible to vote. Voting is a constitutional right, not a privilege reserved for those who can easily navigate bureaucratic documentation requirements. A policy that risks disenfranchising eligible citizens in the name of addressing an already rare form of voter fraud is, in my opinion, the wrong approach. I ask you to consider not only those who have the time, money, and documentation to comply with these new requirements, but also those who could lose their voice through no fault of their own. Election security and voter access are not mutually exclusive. We can protect both. Please vote NO on the SAVE Act. I hope you will stand for secure elections that also preserve every eligible American’s fundamental right to vote. Thank you for your time and your service to our district. I sincerely hope you will oppose this legislation.