During this time when many of our government institutions are being threatened and dismantled, it is imperative we protect the systems and processes that safeguard our right to vote. General Convention called for reforms that would expand voter registration, increase voter eligibility, and make voting processes more accessible. Legislation recently introduced would restrict these rights and cause harm, with the potential for millions of eligible voters to be disenfranchised. 

Early in this congressional session, members introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (H.R.22/S.128). This legislation would require voters to present citizenship documentation in person to register to vote, which would have enormous impacts on the voter registration process. The legislation would jeopardize mail-in voter registration, voter registration drives, and online voter registration—impacting at least 42 states. Driver’s licenses, including real IDs, would no longer be sufficient documentation for voter registration. 

It is already a federal crime for non-U.S. citizens to register to vote in federal elections. Election officials in all states and territories are already empowered to verify a person’s identity prior to registering them to vote. 

By requiring a passport or birth certificate to register to vote, this legislation would disenfranchise millions of American voters. Only 53.1 percent of citizens have access to a passport, for example, and the legislation presents high concerns for those who have changed their name to register successfully and efficiently to vote. According to Pew Research, 84% of married women have changed their name and subsequently no longer have matching birth certificates. 

General Convention calls us to oppose restrictions on voting rights and to advance access to the right to vote. The SAVE Act serves as an unnecessary roadblock designed to disenfranchise voters, upending an electoral process that is already safe and secure. Systemic reviews of election safety and procedures have never found evidence of widespread election fraud, nor of widespread noncitizen voting.  

Write to Congress today and urge members to vote against the SAVE Act.

Additional Resource

American Bar Association 

Episcopal Church Resolutions

• 2022-C054: Advocate for Legislation to Protect and Expand Voting Rights and Access
• 2018-D003: Call on Governments to Cease Voter Suppression and Increase Voter Participation

 

Shareable Link