1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I am writing to express strong opposition to the so-called Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and to any effort to force this legislation through Congress ahead of the midterm elections. The SAVE Act would require documentary proof of citizenship in order to register or update voter registration for federal elections. While framed as an election security measure, the real effect would be to create new barriers for millions of eligible Americans who do not have ready access to the required documents. Married women whose legal names differ from their birth certificates, elderly Americans without passports, and lower-income voters who lack easy access to documentation would all face new obstacles to exercising their constitutional right. This legislation does not solve a real problem. It creates one. Recent developments at the state level underscore why this issue is so concerning. Florida Republicans have just passed a bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote, modeled in part on President Trump’s legislative priorities in Congress. Taken together with the SAVE Act, these efforts point toward a coordinated push to make voting harder in advance of the midterm elections. That should alarm every member of Congress. At the same time, there are reports that President Trump is pressuring Republican leadership to move the SAVE Act forward even though there are not currently enough votes to pass it under existing thresholds. Discussions about lowering procedural barriers or otherwise forcing the legislation through Congress are deeply troubling. Equally concerning are reports that the President is threatening to block or veto unrelated legislation unless Congress passes this bill. Congress must not allow voting rights to become a bargaining chip. States do play an important role in administering elections, but when states move to restrict access to the ballot—as we are seeing in Florida—the federal government has a clear responsibility to protect the fundamental right to vote. National policy should expand participation in democracy, not make it harder for eligible Americans to cast a ballot. Democrats in Congress should be prepared to oppose the SAVE Act with absolute clarity. Do not allow this legislation to pass. Do not allow procedural manipulation to force it through. And do not allow threats from the President to coerce Congress into accepting voter suppression. If defending voting rights requires sustained resistance on the floor of Congress, then that is a fight worth having. The American people deserve to see their representatives standing up for the principle that every eligible citizen should be able to participate in our democracy. Protect the right to vote. Protect American democracy.