1. United States
2. Okla.
3. Letter

I am writing to express serious concern about the proposed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. While it is important to protect the integrity of our elections, this legislation threatens to disenfranchise thousands—if not millions—of eligible voters through unnecessary and burdensome documentation requirements. The SAVE Act’s mandate for documentary proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, may seem reasonable at a glance. But in practice, it places a disproportionate burden on many Americans—particularly the elderly, low-income citizens, naturalized citizens, and young people—who may not have immediate access to such documents. Even more troubling is the requirement for an exact name match between the voter’s identification documents and their birth certificate or passport. This seemingly minor stipulation could exclude a significant number of married women who have taken their spouse’s last name, individuals who have legally changed their name for personal or safety reasons, and members of the trans and nonbinary communities whose documents may reflect different stages of their lives. For many, updating every single legal document to reflect a name change is a lengthy, expensive, and bureaucratically difficult process—if it's even possible at all. These restrictions will result in eligible, law-abiding citizens being denied the fundamental right to vote. There is no substantial evidence of non-citizen voting at any scale that would justify such sweeping and exclusionary measures. The real effect of the SAVE Act will not be increased security—but widespread disenfranchisement. Voting is a cornerstone of our democracy. Please oppose the SAVE Act and instead support policies that strengthen voter participation and protect every citizen’s right to have their voice heard.