The House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act this morning. With a 220-208 vote, the bill passed with Democrats Jared Golden (ME), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA), Henry Cuellar (TX) and Ed Case (HI) joining Republicans to vote in favor of the legislation. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
The SAVE Act may sound harmless, but it’s a dangerous step toward voter suppression. Requiring strict proof of citizenship could block millions of eligible voters — especially women, seniors, students, and communities of color — from participating in our democracy.
Here are four reasons why this bill is a direct attack on our rights:
It creates unnecessary barriers to voting. Millions of eligible voters — especially young people, seniors, and those in rural communities — could struggle to access the required documents to register to vote.
It disproportionately impacts women. Women who change their names after marriage or divorce could face additional hurdles, forcing them to navigate complicated bureaucracy just to cast a ballot.
It undermines long-standing voter registration efforts. By eliminating online and mail-in registration, this bill makes it harder for working families, students, and people with disabilities to register and stay registered.
It’s a solution in search of a problem. There is no widespread voter fraud in the U.S., but this bill weaponizes misinformation to justify stripping away our rights.
The SAVE Act sounds like a safeguard, but it’s a smokescreen. It doesn’t stop fraud; it stops eligible Americans from voting.
Here’s how we stop it.
We can stop this bill from becoming law, even with Democrats being in the minority in the Senate. 60 votes are required to overcome a filibuster, and Republicans only have 53 seats. That means they need seven Democrats to help them get this across the finish line.
Could there possibly be seven Democrats willing to vote for this horrible bill? We hope not, but only a few months ago, twelve Democrats voted for the Laken Riley Act — one of the cruelest anti-immigrant bills in years.
So, if you are represented by one of those twelve senators — Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), John Fetterman (PA), Ruben Gallego (AZ), Maggie Hassan (NH), Mark Kelly (AZ), Jon Ossoff (GA), Gary Peters (MI), Jacky Rosen (NV), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Elissa Slotkin (MI), Mark Warner (VA), or Raphael Warnock (GA) — please call them today and urge them to vote no. And then urge friends in your state to call as well!
Note: We are focusing our outreach on these members because of their recent voting history (this session or last) and because we haven’t seen a public statement about how they intend to vote on this bill. You should call your two Senators regardless, but it is especially important to call these folks!
We can’t give up now. Our fundamental right to vote is at stake. Call your two Senators today and demand they vote NO on the SAVE Act.
You can find who represents you here. The script to make calls is below.
YOUR SCRIPT:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, STATE].
I'm calling to demand that Sen. [NAME] oppose the SAVE Act, which will create unnecessary barriers to voter registration and disenfranchise countless voters, especially women, seniors, and low-income citizens.
This bill is designed to block voters despite no evidence of widespread fraud. Sen. [NAME] must vote against it.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
IF LEAVING VOICEMAIL: Please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.
Why would those democrats in the house vote yes? I’m so confused
Women’s march!!’