Our democracy works best when every eligible voter, regardless of background, can make their voice heard. But the extreme SAVE Act in Congress threatens that right by imposing unnecessary and burdensome proof-of-citizenship requirements, making it significantly harder for millions of Americans to register and vote.

This bill would force every voter to present proof of citizenship, primarily through a passport or an original birth certificate, documents many Americans don’t readily have, every time they register or update their registration; in person. That means ourselves, our loved ones, and our neighbors could face insurmountable barriers: as it’s written now, the bill creates particular problems for military service members, tribal citizens, married women, naturalized citizens, rural voters, and seniors.

The SAVE Act is a solution in search of a problem. It’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, and election officials already verify voter eligibility using secure state and federal data. This bill does nothing to improve election security, it only makes voting harder for law-abiding citizens.

Congress should reject this dangerous bill and focus on ensuring that all eligible Americans have fair and equal access to the ballot box. Instead of erecting new barriers, we should be working to make voting more accessible for all eligible Americans.

Janet Saupp

Port Townsend