CLC Urges Congress to Reject the SAVE Act, Which Threatens the Freedom to Vote

Washington, D.C. — Congress is currently preparing to vote on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (H.R.22/S.128), or the SAVE Act. While the SAVE Act has been characterized as a narrow bill to mandate proof of citizenship for voter registration, this legislation’s extreme documentation requirements would upend the most popular forms of voter registration and risk endangering all Americans’ freedom to vote and our democracy.

CLC’s Senior Vice President Bruce V. Spiva issued the following statement on the SAVE Act:  

“The freedom to vote is essential to our democracy. Americans are already required to verify their citizenship when registering to vote. The SAVE Act introduces more barriers to proving citizenship that would make registering and casting a ballot much harder for everyone — especially for voters who have been historically disenfranchised.

“Under this legislation, millions of voters would face unnecessary hurdles when trying to register, mail and online voter registration would be disrupted, harmful voter purges would be mandated, and nonpartisan election workers would face severe criminal penalties while trying to do their jobs. Our democracy is strongest when all voters can participate and have their voices heard.  

“Congress must reject the SAVE Act.”