Letter - People Power United joins coalition efforts to strongly oppose the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (“SAVE Act”)

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

People Power United joined other local, state, and national groups to send a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to oppose oppose the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (“SAVE Act”). Shout out to The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights for leading these efforts.

Here is the letter sent on behalf of our People Power United membership:

May 16, 2024

The Honorable Bryan Steil
Chairman
Committee on House Administration
1309 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Joe Morelle
Ranking Member
Committee on House Administration
1216 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Steil and Ranking Member Morelle,

On behalf of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of national organizations committed to promoting and protecting the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States; and the Declaration for American Democracy, a coalition of local, state and national organizations working to strengthen U.S. democracy; and the undersigned ?? organizations, we write in strong opposition to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (“SAVE Act”).  

Congress has a pivotal Constitutional responsibility in safeguarding free and fair elections and ensuring all Americans have the freedom to vote. The SAVE Act represents a dangerous departure from fulfilling this vital duty. The Act’s requirement of documentary proof of American citizenship to register to vote in federal elections is wholly based on falsehoods and, even worse, seeks to promote fear-mongering and divisive rhetoric. Instead of proceeding with this legislation, Congress should take actions that will help voters and promote democracy such as passing legislation that will strengthen protections against discrimination in voting and expand access to the ballot for all communities. 

The SAVE Act is both unnecessary and dangerous. Our electoral system already deploys processes to ensure that our elections are secure and that only eligible voters are participating in our democracy. Voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering to vote. State election officials already have in place existing systems to verify an individual’s voter eligibility and ensure voter rolls are accurate.

Moreover, federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections. Every single state bans noncitizens from voting in state elections. These protections have proven very effective, given that there is simply no evidence of widespread noncitizen voting in elections. Indeed, it defies logic that non-U.S. citizens would risk their immigration status, the potential of criminal prosecution, future opportunity for naturalization, and freedom for themselves and their families by unlawfully committing an affirmative act to vote in an election in which they are prohibited from participating. The penalties for registering or voting as a non-U.S. citizen include imprisonment or deportation. The risks for any non-U.S. citizen to vote in a federal election are serious and steep, and our laws already effectively prevent significant unlawful voter registration and voting.

Introduction and advancement of this bill is the most recent example of what has been a string of recent efforts to make voter registration and voting more difficult, particularly for voters of color. False claims of non-citizen voting have been disingenuously used to enact more onerous voter identification requirements, limitations on voter assistance in languages other than English, and attempts to spread misinformation about voting. This legislation seeks to intimidate members of immigrant communities and communities of color from exercising their lawful right to vote. It also would make it harder for voters of color and naturalized citizens to register to vote, and would prevent their full participation in democracy. These are already communities which are unfairly targeted by anti-immigrant policies at the federal, state, and local level. Congress should be doing everything possible to encourage and promote the political participation of these citizens, rather than seeking to diminish it through threats and fear tactics.

Legislation like the SAVE Act is intended to elicit irrational fear of the growing number of citizens of color. Congress should instead act to ensure that every eligible U.S. citizen has the freedom to vote unimpeded by discriminatory rules rooted in fear and division. We urge you to instead focus on passing real pro-voter reforms to ensure that everyone can fully participate in our democracy.

Sincerely,

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Declaration for American Democracy

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People Power United champions progressive values and power to the people. We are a group of people who believe in the possibility of change and work to make it happen. Whether it's supporting a candidate, fighting to pass legislation, or working to change our culture, our members are committed to an inclusive and progressive future.