Take Action to Oppose the SAVE Act

LWVUS and many other voting rights organizations are campaigning vigorously to oppose the SAVE Act, which would require citizenship documentation to register to vote even though voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering.  That means every voter would have to produce a birth certificate, passport, naturalization papers, and, for women who changed their names, a marriage certificate every time they register to vote, every time they move. 

Use this form to ask your Representative in Congress to oppose this bill, which is expected to come up for a vote soon. 

LWVMA and our partners in the Election Modernization Coalition met recently with Ashley Bykerk, senior counsel in Rep. Katherine Clark’s office, to discuss the SAVE Act. 

Our “ask” of Democratic Whip Clark was that she use her position to convince all Democratic members of Congress to oppose the SAVE Act and that she try to convince any moderate Republican members as well. We do understand that the entire Massachusetts Congressional delegation opposes this bill.

Our arguments included the fact that the SAVE Act would undermine most of the election reforms EMC has passed in the last 15 years, including automatic voter registration, mail and online voter registration, and pre-registration of 16- and 17-year-olds. We hope that members of Congress in red states, such as Georgia, which use automatic voter registration, understand that. It would seriously impact the voter registration efforts of groups like the League.

We also point out that this bill would have a huge impact on election officials without providing any additional funding for their offices. Election officials would be required to collect and store safely and securely the personal identification documents- birth certificates, marriage certificates, passports, and naturalization papers- that people present when they register to vote.  It is a responsibility we should not ask of election officials.

Bykerk said the efforts of our national organizations do make a difference, and she urged people to contact their Representatives, even if they oppose this bill, because constituent response provides talking points to convince other legislators.