1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Today I take pen in hand to write and urge you to oppose H.R. 7008, the next attempt to suppress votes. Numerous civil and voting rights organizations rightly point out that Section 3 of this bill would impose a nationwide photo ID requirement more restrictive than the law in almost any state in the country, blocking many eligible citizens from voting. It would strip away commonly accepted forms of ID, offer no adequate remedy for voters who cannot obtain one of the limited approved documents in time, and provide zero funding for states to issue free ID to those who cannot afford it. That last point is not a technicality. It is an unconstitutional poll tax. The burden on states is just as serious. Election officials would be required to build entirely new notification processes and train poll workers to verify ID and resolve disputes, all without a single federal dollar to cover the cost. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and more than fifty organizations have documented how this bill would deepen racial disparities in voter turnout. It would disproportionately exclude Latino, Black, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Native American citizens, along with married women who have changed their names, low-income people, and people with disabilities. H.R. 7008 does not secure elections. It suppresses them. Vote NO. Thank you.