BRIEFING ROOM

The Trump administration aims to undermine voting rights, threatening our democracy. He has not eased up on his relentless attack on voting. The House narrowly passed the bill, and now the Senate is preparing to vote this weekend on the SAVE ACT, a dangerous bill that will prevent millions from exercising their legal and constitutional right to vote, grant the federal government unprecedented control over state elections, and access to your personal voting information.

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Time is running out. The vote is this weekend. CALL YOUR SENATOR AND TELL THEM TO VOTE NO ON THE SAVE ACT. 

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At its core, this bill makes voting harder. It’s a voter suppression bill on steroids. It would require proof of citizenship, like a passport or birth certificate, just to register. It mandates photo ID to cast a ballot. This would negatively impact women who changed their names when they got married and it might not match their drivers licenses. It also forces states to hand over their voter rolls to the attorney general, with monthly updates or security guarantees.

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We have proof of how damaging this is. Kansas passed its own SAFE Act in 2011. More than 30,000 eligible voters were unable to cast their ballots. Luckily, the courts struck this down. But we cannot always count on courts to protect us since they are packed with Trump ideologues who are not on the side of voting rights. 

But one of the more troubling aspects of the bill, and one that many may not be aware of, is the push to collect voter data. States would be required to regularly submit their voter rolls to DHS, with no guarantee that this sensitive personal information would be protected. 

In California, the DOJ sought but failed to obtain voters’ participation histories and political party registrations. In Georgia, efforts related to false claims about the 2020 election resulted in the seizure of unredacted voter files—names, addresses, birth dates, driver’s license numbers, and even Social Security numbers.

The right to vote is the foundation of a functioning democracy. History is very clear: when leaders want to hold onto power, they make it harder to vote, and they keep lists. We have seen what happens to those named on the lists. They are targeted, harassed, and persecuted. This isn’t just about voting access. It’s about fear, intimidation, and control.

Protecting voter privacy is essential to maintaining confidence in our democratic process. Without this safeguard, people will not vote, which is just what Trump wants.

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Democracies don’t disappear overnight. They’re chipped away, piece by piece, law by law, until, for example, the right to vote exists in name only. Fight with your voice and stand on the right side of history. 

Don’t wait. CALL YOUR SENATORS TODAY at 202-224-3121. None of us wants to end up on a list.