As your constituent, I strongly urge you to oppose the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The SAVE Act would place the burden on every single American citizen to prove their citizenship when registering to vote or updating their voter registration, chiefly by presenting either a passport or a birth certificate in person. This bill represents a dangerous dereliction of your duty as a member of Congress to safeguard free and fair elections and ensure accessible voting for all U.S. citizens—including your own constituents.
Under 18 U.S.C. § 1015, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, and those that break the law can face up to five years in prison. Americans already attest to their citizenship status when registering to vote, and election officials verify their eligibility using federal and state data, including citizenship data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Americans also must already provide their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their social security number when registering to vote. Instead of the government doing its job, the SAVE Act would put the burden on every single American citizen to prove that they can exercise their constitutional right to vote.
More than 140 million U.S. citizens do not possess a passport, and 69 million women who took their spouse’s last name upon marriage would not be able to use their birth certificate to prove their identity. Rural and working class Americans are less likely to have a passport.
The SAVE Act endangers the constitutional rights of all Americans. We deserve better than irresponsibly thought out legislation, and we expect more from Congress. I urge you to vote no on the SAVE Act.
