The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (H.R. 22/S. 128) will most likely come to a vote this week. 

This bill is aimed at requiring all voters to provide government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship at voter registration. This is to prevent voting by non-citizens, which is already prohibited by federal law. 

The concern is that this bill may also prevent U.S. citizens from voting or registering to vote due to needing to provide extra documentation like a passport or certified birth certificate, which can also be cost-prohibitive.

This bill instructs states to establish a process for people whose legal name does not match their birth certificate to provide further documentation.  This would impact many communities:

• More than half of Americans - 150 million citizens - do not have a passport, and elderly Americans are one of the demographic groups least likely to have a passport.
• The cost of a passport is state-dependent and begins at $165.
• Millions of women do not have a birth certificate with their current legal name, as 80% of married women adopt their spouse's surname.
• This act also ends online voter registration, currently allowed in 42 states.
• Makes it impossible for Americans to register to vote by mail
• End all registration drives nationwide
• Affects rural voters who rely on online voter registration
• Members of LGBTQ community who may have changed their names
• Naturalized citizens who may feel more intimidated
• Members of U.S. Military who could no longer use their military ID to register
• Members of Tribal communities who could not use their Tribal ID to register
   

Ask your representative to protect the right of every U.S. citizen to vote by asking them to oppose the SAVE Act. 

Voting is a right of every U.S. citizen. Our democracy works best when all of us, regardless of race, gender, income, political party or zip code, have an equal say.