Families are feeling the economic squeeze, and Congress should be focused on lowering costs – not making it harder for eligible Americans to vote.
Instead, some lawmakers are once again pushing the anti-voter SAVE America Act.
This legislation would impose new paperwork requirements on eligible voters of every political affiliation, creating unnecessary – and costly! – barriers that would fall especially hard on moms, married women who have changed their names, seniors, rural voters, military families, and caregivers.
Tell U.S. Senators: Protect our voting rights and REJECT the SAVE America Act – in any form.
These concerns aren’t hypothetical. A recent Bipartisan Policy Center analysis found that roughly 12% of registered voters – about 28.4 million voting-age citizens – do not have ready access to the forms of documentary proof commonly required under proposals like the SAVE Act. The analysis also found that lower-income Americans and those with lower levels of educational attainment are less likely to have these documents readily available. [1]
This bad bill would require Americans to produce detailed and often onerous citizenship documents – such as a costly passport, or a birth certificate that matches a current driver’s license (Did you change your name in marriage? Then you and millions of women have an issue with this bill), in order to register to vote. Roughly half of Americans do not have a passport, which costs hundreds of dollars – and time too! [2]
Women could be among those hit hardest: Are you one of the nearly 69 million married women in America who changed your name after marriage? Is your current legal name on your birth certificate? No? Then proving your eligibility to vote could become significantly more difficult. [2]
This bad bill would adversely impact moms’ ability to vote more than others. Why? Because moms are among the most likely to change their names when they get married, they often have names on birth certificates that do not match their married name on their current driver’s licenses.
But the damage doesn’t stop there. The SAVE America Act would create new obstacles for seniors, young voters, rural communities, military families stationed away from home, people with disabilities, working parents, caregivers, and low-income Americans. It would also require states to share sensitive voter information with the federal government and could jeopardize vote-by-mail systems that millions of Americans depend on. [3]
Think about who that impacts:
- A mom juggling work, child care, and family responsibilities.
- A senior who can no longer travel easily to a government office.
- A military spouse stationed across the country.
- A rural voter who lives hours from a records office.
- A voter who simply cannot afford the extra costs or time needed to secure additional paperwork.
These Americans are already eligible to vote. They shouldn’t have to overcome new bureaucratic hurdles just to make their voices heard.
At a time when families are under increasing financial strain and are asking Congress to lower costs and strengthen our economy, lawmakers shouldn’t be creating new barriers that make it harder for eligible Americans to participate in our democracy.
We won’t stand by while politicians make it harder for eligible Americans to vote. When you click, you’ll automatically sign on to our petition that reads:
I urge you to vote NO on the “SAVE America” Act and any effort to attach it to other legislation.
Congress recently took an important bipartisan step toward addressing America’s housing affordability crisis. Families struggling with rising rents, aspiring first-time homebuyers, and seniors on fixed incomes need lawmakers to keep working together on solutions that lower costs and expand housing opportunities.
At the same time, Congress should reject legislation that would make it harder for eligible Americans to vote. More than 21 million U.S. citizens do not have ready access to the documents required under the “SAVE America” Act, and roughly half of Americans do not have a passport. The burden would fall especially hard on married women whose legal names may not match their birth certificates, as well as seniors, rural voters, military families, working parents, and low-income Americans.
Moms across the country are asking Congress to reject the SAVE America Act wherever it appears – whether as standalone legislation, included in the National Defense Authorization Act, attached to a reconciliation package, or added to any other must-pass bill.
The SAVE America Act would create unnecessary barriers to voter registration and participation while threatening voting methods that millions of Americans rely on, including voting by mail. For many seniors, military families, rural voters, people with disabilities, and working parents, these options are essential to participating in our democracy.
Families deserve affordable housing and the freedom to vote.
Please vote NO on the SAVE America Act – in any form.
Tell the U.S. Senate: Vote NO on the SAVE Act – in any form.
Together we are powerful,
– Val, Kristin, Donna, Lauren, Nina, and the entire MomsRising and MamásConPoder Team
References:
[1] Do Documentary Proof of Citizenship Requirements Disadvantage One Party More Than the Other?, Bipartisan Policy Center
[2] New SAVE Act Bills Would Still Block Millions of Americans From Voting, The Brennan Center for Justice
[3] Brennan Center Letter to the Senate Opposing the SAVE America Act, The Brennan Center for Justice