1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, which House leadership plans to vote on next week. This legislation would create unprecedented barriers to voting that could disenfranchise approximately 21 million Americans, according to Brennan Center for Justice analysis. The bill requires documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration and photographic identification proving citizenship to cast a ballot. In practice, this means voters would need to bring a passport or original birth certificate to polls. Half of Americans lack passports, and millions more don't have ready access to birth certificates. Only five states have enhanced driver licenses that meet the requirements: Michigan, New York, Vermont, Minnesota, and Washington. Standard REAL IDs used in most states would not qualify. The legislation would also mandate aggressive voter roll purges, which historically have led to thousands of improper cancellations of legitimate voter registrations. Recent extensive voter roll reviews by Republican election administrators have found very few instances of noncitizens even on rolls, let alone voting. The problem this bill claims to solve is exceedingly rare, while the harm it would cause is massive and well-documented. I am particularly concerned about the broader context in which this legislation is advancing. The administration has made statements about wanting to take over elections in 15 jurisdictions and nationalize them. White House advisor Steve Bannon has said ICE agents would be deployed to polling places, and press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she can't guarantee they won't. As Senator Thom Tillis noted, such deployment would have a chilling effect on even US citizens going to the polls because they don't want to be detained and have to prove citizenship. Every additional barrier reduces voter participation. I urge you to vote against the SAVE America Act and any similar legislation that restricts rather than protects the fundamental right to vote.