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Floor Speech

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Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, nearly 5 years ago, I stood on the Senate floor, and I said that we were ``facing the most dangerous and overt threat to our democratic system in generations.''

I was speaking then in support of the John Lewis For the People Act. Along with my Democratic colleagues, I was pushing to expand Americans' right to vote and push back against the influence of dark money in our elections.

But the threat facing us then pales in comparison to the one that we face today in the form of the Republicans' so-called SAVE Act because their SAVE Act does nothing to save anyone from anything. It does not protect our freedoms; it does not protect our elections; and it does not protect our country. Instead, it actively targets all three.

So I rise again today to face down this new dangerous and overt threat, this time coming from within our own Federal Government. I rise again today in defense of our right to vote because our right to vote is the foundation of every other right that we have. From our right to bear arms to our right to peacefully protest, it is only through our right to vote that we can protect those freedoms and demand a government that does the same. We know this to our core, to our founding, to the genesis of our country.

When, 250 years ago, we fought for independence from Kings, we did so for a government of the people, by the people. The future of that government right now depends on protecting Americans' right to vote. It depends on ensuring that this lever to hold our leaders accountable, to steer our country's future, and to deliver on our country's promise remains in the hands of Americans--that is, in the hands of all Americans.

And when I think about the importance of this fight, I think about my former colleague whose office was right across the hall from mine when I was a Member of the House of Representatives. I think about Congressman John Lewis. I think about him and the thousands who marched in Selma and put their lives on the line to call for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I think about the thousands who fought against reading tests and poll taxes, folks who faced lynching for having the audacity to cast their vote, folks who ensured access to the vote wouldn't belong only to the wealthy, landowning men.

I think about the thousands of women who organized and marched to demand passage of the 19th Amendment, the women who led that movement and the women who rightly demanded to be included within it.

And I think about the legislative and courtroom battles that delivered the right to vote to Native Americans and Mexican Americans, a right so fundamental to our democracy but one that generations upon generations of Americans had to fight for, continuing into today.

It is our right to make our voices heard through our vote, regardless of income or education, regardless of race or gender. When we, as Americans, exercise our right to vote, we hold in our hands the reins of this great democracy. And while I stand here in reverence of that incredible right and the decades and decades of work that have brought it into the reach of millions, I also stand here in defense of it because it is truly under direct threat right now.

Republicans' SAVE Act would strip the right to vote from those who don't already have a passport or a birth certificate or the time and money to expedite getting one. It would strip the right to vote from women who took their husband's last name and don't have the means to get the affidavits or extra documents to prove that they are the same person they were at birth. It would effectively strip voters of the ability to register to vote by mail. And the substitute amendment that was offered yesterday would eliminate most mail-in voting altogether.

This SAVE Act is today's poll tax, today's exclusion of everyday Americans. Senate Republicans claim that this is necessary to confront the threat of foreign citizens voting in our elections, but the requirements their SAVE Act imposes are neither necessary nor justified. They are by design. They are intended to reimpose a wealth requirement to vote, and they are intended to attack married women's right to vote.

These are the real threats that this legislation poses. This is not a voter ID bill; this is a voter suppression bill. And while the consequences will fall heaviest on married women and those without the money and time to get the necessary documents, it is up to all Americans to push back--which reminds me of the words of Benjamin Franklin.

When asked at the Constitutional Convention if our Founders had created a monarchy or a republic, Franklin famously said:

A republic, if you can keep it.

We can, we must, and we know how because generations upon generations have fought for our sacred right to vote, and in that fight, they have shown us the way because these are not the first threats we have faced to elections in our country's history or even in my limited time in the Congress.

In 2016, we saw Russia execute a concerted campaign to mislead and divide Americans, all in an effort to influence that year's Presidential election. As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I helped investigate those efforts, recommending reforms to push back and supporting funding to improve election security across the country, including in my home State of New Mexico.

In 2021, we saw then-defeated President Trump push his Big Lie and urge insurrectionists to storm the Capitol to stop the 2020 Presidential election certification. As a Member of this body, I joined my colleagues in ensuring that the election certification would continue and, later, in clarifying our laws to fortify our election certification process going forward.

And, last July, I helped introduce the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to fully restore that landmark legislation and to override the Supreme Court's 2013 decision that took an ax to the heart of it.

But now, as we enter this midterm election, we see the threats for what they are--and who they are coming from. They aren't coming from foreign governments or defeated candidates this time. They are coming from within our own Federal Government and directly targeting American citizens' right to vote. They are coming from our Commander in Chief and they are coming from our Department of Justice and they are coming from many in the Republican Party. They are coming from folks who would rather sabotage and strip away Americans' right to vote than face the American people's dissatisfaction or, for that matter, be willing to tackle affordability.

The legislation they are using to do that is their so-called SAVE Act, one of the most extreme voter suppression bills in recent history. It is intended to undermine our elections, using tactics that are straight out of an authoritarian playbook.

But we know how to defeat this new threat: Vote no. Vote no on the SAVE Act because it would require every American to prove their citizenship with a passport or a document like a birth certificate every time they register or reregister to vote, because about 140 million Americans don't have passports and about 21 million Americans don't have ready access to documents proving their citizenship either.

But the process to get a passport, that is not fast, that is not easy. In fact, that is not inexpensive. Requiring voters to purchase or renew a passport for $130 is a modern-day poll tax. This is Jim Crow 2.0. That is even assuming you can get yours in time to actually be able to use it to vote in this year's election.

And while I support verifying citizenship, that process should not be limited to just passports and birth certificates. We already have ways to do this, like the motor voter program, which the SAVE Act would effectively eliminate. That program verifies citizenship.

Vote no on the SAVE Act because it would require people whose names don't match their birth certificates, like women who have taken their husband's last name, to provide notarized affidavits, documentation that will undoubtedly take more time and more money to produce.

Vote no on the SAVE Act because it affects our veterans too. With the SAVE Act, many servicemembers and veterans won't be able to register to vote or to vote with their military IDs, even people who fought for this country.

Vote no on the SAVE Act because even if you happen to have the right documents, you will find that the bill all but eliminates voter registration drives, online registration, and automatic registration.

Vote no on the SAVE Act because even when it is done eviscerating your rights to vote, the SAVE Act would turn its sights on election officials. It would require massive, unfunded changes on how elections are administered on the ground overnight, changes that local governments would be forced to pay for, all while exposing election officials to criminal and civil liability.

If you are tempted to vote yes, let me ask this: What does it say about leaders whose sole strategy for remaining in power requires depriving American citizens of the right to vote?

It shows they are weak. It shows they are scared. It shows that their allegiance is to power, not to the American people. And it shows that they have no intention of delivering what the American people actually want right now, which is to bring down costs.

In the end, the conclusion is clear: The SAVE Act is straight-up voter suppression, and it is fundamentally undemocratic, un-American, and wrong.

It is not just me saying that, not just my Senate Democratic colleagues saying that; my constituents see it for what it is too.

Marie from Albuquerque writes:

This act is a blatant attempt to disenfranchise millions of voters of their rights . . . it is a blatant attempt to undermine our entire election system.

Deborah from Las Cruces says:

Especially in New Mexico, so many citizens do not have the resources to get the sort of documentation [that] this act requires. It will target not only those in need, but also women who have recently married and changed their name, people who have moved to a different home, Native Americans with little access to the bureaucracy to [even] obtain documents, and older people who may have been born at home and never had a birth certificate to begin with.

Dawn from Rio Rancho writes:

It would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to implement, streamline, and add staff because we would all have to go in-person. And if you live in a rural community, the whole process is even harder.

Mariah from Santa Fe writes:

This is a brazen attempt to strip the voting rights of trans, immigrant, and women voters across the country, and the GOP's way of putting their thumb on the scale of America's future . . . ALL of us deserve a part in the great experiment of American Democracy. So much progress is made when we're all included, not excluded.

And Ms. Marsh Davis from Bloomfield says:

This legislation is not about election security. It is a coordinated effort to suppress lawful voters by turning registration into a bureaucratic obstacle course. . . . Voting should not hinge on flawless paperwork. When officials are afraid to register voters, democracy suffers. . . . Voter suppression is not always loud. Often, it works through inconvenience, confusion, and quiet disqualification-- ensuring voters only discover the problem when [it's] too late.

These are the voices of my constituents from New Mexico, and they are not alone because right now most Americans know that the SAVE Act is not the answer; they see through Republicans' voter suppression scheme; and they are asking us here in the Senate to fight back.

So let me close with some words from U.S. Senator Dennis Chavez of my great State.

Either we are all free, or we fail; democracy must belong to all of us.

I have a passport. I have the same last name today as I did when I was born. The SAVE Act won't stop me from voting, but it will stop thousands upon thousands of my constituents.

I will repeat: This is not a voter ID bill; this is a voter suppression bill. All American citizens should have the same right to vote as the Senators in this room.

All American citizens deserve to hold the reins of this great democracy in their hands.

So for those constituents, for all Americans, I say again:

Either we are all free, or we fail; democracy must belong to all of us.

I call upon my colleagues in the Senate: Choose freedom, choose democracy, and say no to this so-called SAVE Act.

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