John,

On Tuesday, Donald Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) that would radically change voter registration in this country and lead to the disenfranchisement of millions of voters.

Trump’s EO would require, as proof of citizenship, everyone to present either a passport or a REAL ID when registering to vote for the first time, or updating their voter registration in case they move, change their name, or party affiliation. As of 2023, only 48% of Americans have a passport, 21.3 million eligible U.S. voters don’t have proof of citizenship readily available, and 3.8 million don't have them at all.^{1, 2} REAL ID drivers’ licenses do not include citizenship status in many states, so that requires the use of passports, which cost between $30-$130, essentially a new kind of poll tax. Many people with low incomes, despite being eligible to vote, are especially likely to lack such documents, potentially disenfranchising millions.

Congress could vote on the SAVE Act this coming week, but pressure is working, forcing the need for some “fixes” before it comes up for a vote.

Power our campaign to defeat the anti-democracy SAVE Act and instead fight to defend and expand voting rights for all eligible Americans. Donate today to power our year-round work to strengthen our democracy and voting rights.

One of the most alarming parts of Trump’s EO is that it mandates Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—which is not a government agency or department—review every state's voter registration records, which many view as an overextension of executive power and a challenge to states' rights.³ Elon Musk and his acolytes should not have access to voter rolls. Musk has—and currently still is—paying voters to vote for his preferred candidates.⁴ He did this during the presidential election and is again ahead of Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election this coming week.

Giving Musk access to the voter rolls is dangerous for the entire U.S. electoral system when we already see what he’s doing with myriad government agencies, including the Social Security Administration and taxpayer data at the IRS.

Donate $5 today to power our work directing letters to Congressional offices, fighting back against right-wing attempts to disenfranchise millions of voters.

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Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ Return to Pre-Pandemic Passport Processing Times
² Millions of Americans Don’t Have Documents Proving Their Citizenship Readily Available
³ Trump wants DOGE to look at voter rolls
⁴ Elon Musk is paying voters again ahead of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election