VoteRiders is saddened, but not surprised, to see the House of Representatives pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
“The SAVE Act proposes a drastic and dangerous overhaul of voting in our country. It would be just plain bad for democracy, making it harder for voters of all demographic groups and political affiliations across the country to cast a ballot by creating powerful barriers to voter registration for eligible Americans. In doing so, the SAVE Act would disenfranchise millions of US citizens from having a say at the ballot box,” said Lauren Kunis, CEO and Executive Director of VoteRiders. “Having such documents readily available is not a reality for many Americans – our research shows that 21.3 million US citizens, or nearly 1 in 10 eligible voters nationwide, lack easy access to the documents that the SAVE Act would require.”
“VoteRiders has seen the impact that onerous, costly, and unnecessary ID-related requirements to vote have had up close. Since 2012, we’ve supported tens of thousands of voters to access the ID information and documents they need to cast a ballot. Like many voter ID laws already do, proof of citizenship legislation such as the SAVE Act would wreak havoc on the voting process, confuse voters, and harm some communities more than others. Robust existing safeguards already ensure that only eligible US citizens vote in federal elections. The SAVE Act is a solution to a problem that does not exist. To ensure our democracy is representative of all of us, every voter must have an equal opportunity to ensure their voice and vote is heard. VoteRiders remains committed to ensuring all eligible voters have what they need to cast their ballot no matter the barriers.”
