Letter - People Power United joins coalition efforts to urge Congress to Stop the Save Act

🗽A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.

People Power United is a proud member of the DFAD (Declaration for American Democracy) Coalition who sent a letter to Congress opposing the Save Act. Here is a copy of the letter sent on behalf of our members:

February, 2025

Dear Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, Chairman Steil, and Ranking Member Morelle,

On behalf of the Declaration for American Democracy (DFAD), a coalition of more than 260 local, state and national organizations working to strengthen U.S. democracy, and the undersigned organizations, we write in strong opposition to H.R. 22, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

Congress has a constitutional responsibility to safeguard free and fair elections and ensure all American citizens can freely, securely, and easily exercise their right to vote. The SAVE Act represents a dangerous departure from fulfilling this duty, and as currently written, this bill will make it significantly harder, if not outright impossible, for millions of Republican, Democratic, and independent voters to register to vote and have their voices heard. The SAVE Act would place the burden on every single American citizen to prove their citizenship when registering to vote or updating their voter registration, chiefly by either presenting a passport or a birth certificate in person. In practice, the SAVE Act would up-end online voter registration, a practice in 42 states, make it impossible for Americans to register to vote by mail, and put an end to voter registration drives nationwide. The only feasible way for every single American citizen to register to vote or update their registration – including for an address or party change – would be to do so in person.

Federal law already states that it is illegal for non-U.S. citizens to register to vote or cast a ballot in a federal election (18 U.S. C. § 1015). It’s an existing crime that is punishable by up to five years in prison. Election officials already use extensive state and federal data, including citizenship data, to verify an individual’s eligibility to cast a ballot and Americans must already provide either the last four digits of their social security number or driver’s license number when registering to vote to enable officials to verify their identity and eligibility.

Research indicates that more than nine percent of voting-age citizens, 21.3 million Americans, do not have proof of citizenship readily available, while at least 3.8 million do not have these documents at all due to loss, damage, or theft.

Data from the U.S. Department of State shows that approximately only half of all American citizens possess a passport meaning that half of all American citizens would not be able to provide one of the primary acceptable forms of documentation required by the legislation. Nationwide, more than 140 million Americans do not possess a passport, and specifically, data indicates that approximately 3.1 million Louisiana citizens, 5.1 million New York citizens, and 3.3 million Wisconsin citizens do not possess a passport. Americans who have completed less education or have lower income are also far less likely to have a passport, making this a socio-economic issue that would disproportionately impact working-class Americans. Additionally, older Americans are less likely than younger citizens to have a passport.

Surveys also show that eight in ten married women have changed their surname, meaning they do not possess a birth certificate that matches their current legal name and therefore could not present it as valid proof of citizenship. Nationwide, this would mean that as many as 69 million women could not use their birth certificate to prove their identity or citizenship status. This would impact as many as 1 million women in Louisiana, 1.3 million women in Wisconsin, and 3.8 million women in New York.

The SAVE Act could also prevent victims of natural disasters, such as hurricanes and wildfires, from being able to register to vote in cases where their passport or original birth certificate was lost or damaged. Citizens who move more often as well as rural citizens will also be greatly impacted by these strict requirements as they will be required to resubmit, in person, the required documentation every time they update their voter registration. Many civil rights groups have also warned that naturalized citizens and citizens of color would likely face even greater discrimination under the legislation when trying to access the ballot box.

Introduction of the SAVE Act is the most recent example of a string of schemes to make voting more difficult for citizens, while hiding behind a thin veil of disinformation promoting false narratives of wide-spread voter fraud. Even President Trump’s Presidential Advisory Committee on Election Integrity was disbanded after it was not able to find evidence of widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections. Despite overwhelming evidence attesting to the integrity of federal elections, many Americans continue to voice concerns about our elections – we encourage Congress to be receptive to those concerns, but it must do so responsibly and constitutionally. Instead of proceeding with this dangerous bill, Congress should take actions that will strengthen our elections and ensure that all eligible voters have access to the ballot box.

Sincerely,

215 People’s Alliance

20/20 Vision

Action Together Northeastern Pennsylvania

All On The Line

American Humanist Association

Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote)

Black Voters Matter Fund

Carolina for All Education Foundation

Center for Common Ground

Center for Media and Democracy

Chispa LCV

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)

Clean Elections Texas

Coalition on Human Needs

Common Cause

CommonDefense.us

Communications Workers of America

Courage California

Defend The Vote Action Fund

DemCast USA

Democracy 21

Democracy Maine

Democracy Matters

Democracy SENTRY

Demos Action

Eastbay Activist Alliance, Postcards

End Citizens United

Faiths for Safe Water

Field Team 6

Franciscan Action Network

Generation Vote

Georgia Coalition for the Peoples Agenda

Greenpeace

Informing Democracy

League of Conservation Voters

League of Women Voters of the United States

Maryland Poor People’s Campaign

Michiganders for Fair and Transparent Elections

MoveOn

National Council of Churches

National Council of Jewish Women

NC NAACP

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

North Carolina For The People

People For the American Way

People Power United

Popular Democracy

Progress Arizona

Project On Government Oversight

Public Citizen

Reboot Our Democracy

RepresentUs

Seed the Vote

SEIU

Stand Up America

State Democracy Defenders Action

Take Back Christianity

The Civics Center

The Workers Circle

Transformative Justice Coalition

Transparency International U.S.

Unitarian Universalist Association

Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice

Voices for Progress

Voices Of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL-KY)

VoPro Pros

Voter Participation Center

WALKING TO FIX OUR DEMOCRACY

Women of Color Coalition

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