1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I urge you to oppose HB22, the SAVE Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration in federal elections. This legislation creates substantial barriers for eligible American citizens while addressing a problem that evidence shows does not exist at any meaningful scale. The bill mandates that all prospective voters provide documents like birth certificates, passports, or naturalization certificates before registering. Many eligible citizens do not routinely possess these documents or face significant obstacles obtaining them. Elderly voters, naturalized citizens seeking decades-old naturalization records, and those born in states with incomplete vital records systems would be particularly affected. The legislation provides no hardship exceptions or alternative verification methods, creating rigid requirements that could disenfranchise eligible voters unable to obtain documentary proof despite their citizenship status. This represents a massive unfunded mandate on states. Election officials must establish verification systems, develop database interfaces with the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security, train personnel, and retroactively verify millions of existing registrations. The bill provides no federal appropriations for these costs, forcing states to redirect resources from other critical election administration functions. The private right of action provision allowing citizens to sue election officials creates additional litigation risks that will overwhelm administrators and increase legal defense costs. This uncertainty undermines the stable election administration that democracy requires. Most concerning is that this legislation solves a virtually non-existent problem. The documentary requirements will reduce voter registration rates among eligible citizens while providing no meaningful security benefit. The fundamental right to vote should not be conditioned on bureaucratic hurdles that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. I ask you to oppose HB22 and protect the accessible voter registration system that serves eligible American citizens. Democracy is strengthened by removing barriers to participation, not by creating new ones based on unfounded claims.