Opposing H.R. 8281--Save Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to include in the Record a letter from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights that indicates the strong opposition to the SAVE Act of 146 local, state, and national organizations. May 16, 2024. Hon. Bryan Steil, Chair, Committee on House Administration, Washington, DC. Hon. Joe Morelle, Ranking Member, Committee on House Administration, Washington, DC.
Dear Chair 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, the Declaration for American Democracy, a coalition of local, state, and national organizations working to strengthen U.S. democracy; and the undersigned 123 organizations, we write in strong opposition to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
Congress has a pivotal constitutional responsibility to safeguard free and fair elections and to ensure all Americans have the freedom to vote. The SAVE Act represents a dangerous departure from fulfilling this vital duty. The bill'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 who 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. If you have any questions, please contact Leslie Proll, senior director of the voting rights program at The Leadership Conference, at proll@civilrights.org. Sincerely,
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Declaration for American Democracy; 18by Vote; Accountable US; Advancement Project; AFT; All About The Ballots; All On The Line; All Voting Is Local Action; America's Voice; American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD); American Association of University Women (AAUW); American Civil Liberties Union; American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees; Arab American Institute (AAI); Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF); Asian Americans Advancing Justice--AAJC; Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIA Vote); Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
Baltimore County Progressive Democrats Club; Black Voters Matter Fund; Brennan Center for Justice; Campaign Legal Center; Carolina Jews for Justice; Center for Common Ground; Center for Living & Working, Inc.; Center for Popular Democracy; Chicago Survivors; Chispa LCV; CivicGeorgia; Clean Elections Texas; Coalition on Human Needs; Common Cause; Common Defense; Communications Workers of America; Courage for America; Defend Democracy; DemCast USA; Democracy 21.
Democracy Maine; Democracy Matters; Democracy SENTRY; Demos; Detroit Disability Power; End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund; Fair Elections Center; Faith Commons; Faith in Public Life Action; Fix Democracy First; FLIC Votes; Free Speech For People; Georgia Coalition for the Peoples Agenda; Get Money Out--Maryland; Government Information Watch; Greenpeace USA; HeadCount; Helping Hands Outreach Services of Mississippi; Hip Hop Caucus; Indivisible Santa Fe.
Interfaith Alliance; Japanese American Citizens League; JustLeadership USA; LDF; League of Conservation Voters; League of Women Voters of the United States; MALDEF; Memphis APRI; Missouri Voter Protection Coalition; MomsRising; MoveOn; Muslims for Community, Action and Support (MCAS); N.C. For the People Action; NALEO Educational Fund; National Action Network; National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA); National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities; National Association of Social Workers; National Community Action Partnership; National Council of Jewish Women.
National Disability Rights Network (NDRN); National Education Association; National Employment Law Project; National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC); National Urban League; Native American Rights Fund; NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; New Georgia Project Action Fund; Out of Many 1 Advocacy; People For the American Way; People Power United; Pride at Work; Project On Government Oversight; Protect Democracy; Public Citizen; RepresentUs; RespectAbility; Safer Country; Scrutineers; Secure Elections Network; Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund.
Stand UP Alaska; Stand Up America; State Voices; Storied Analytics LLC; The National Vote; The Workers Circle; Transformative Justice Coalition; Transparency International U.S.; Un-PAC; UnidosUS; Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice; United Church of Christ; Vote.org; Voter Participation Center; Voters Rights and Protection Taskforce; Voto Latino; WALKING TO FIX OUR DEMOCRACY; We Are All America; Westchester for Change; Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center; Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice; Women's March; WV Citizen Action; WV FREE (West Virginia Focus: Reproductive Education and Equity); ZERO TO THREE.
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