Dear John,

The SAVE Act is voter suppression by design.

The House has passed the so-called SAVE Act – a dangerous bill that threatens the most fundamental right in a democracy: the right to vote. Now, the Senate may vote on it as soon as next week.

If we don’t act to stop it, millions of eligible Americans could be silenced at the polls in the next elections.

While the bill claims to “safeguard” elections, its real purpose is clear: to make it harder for voters from historically excluded communities to cast their ballots and easier for voters from historically dominant demographics.

The SAVE Act weaponizes paperwork to purge voters from the rolls, denying registration based on minor mismatches and stripping people of their rights without notice. And once purged, there may be no realistic way for a voter to correct the issue in time for an election.

This bill undermines democracy at its core.

It’s no coincidence that the groups most adversely affected are those who have had to fight the hardest for the right to vote. The SAVE Act is a blatant attempt to entrench MAGA Republicans’ political power by silencing communities who tend to vote against their extremist agenda.

It’s passed the House already, but we can still stop it in the Senate. Tell the Senate: Reject the SAVE Act. Protect every American’s right to vote – not just the privileged few.

By requiring voters to show a passport or birth certificate in person that exactly matches the voter’s ID, just to register, the SAVE Act targets:

• Millions of women who have changed their names through marriage, and never formally updated documents

• Seniors, veterans, and rural voters, who may have difficulty accessing distant or bureaucratic government offices

• Immigrants whose names were altered during the immigration process, or whose papers are inaccessible

• Trans and nonbinary people whose documents don’t reflect their lived identities

• Working-class voters who can’t take time off to wait in long lines just to verify documents

• Students and others who move frequently, and may not have access to birth records

• People without current passports, who may lack the time, resources, or inclination to travel out of the country

These aren’t unintended consequences. The bill’s barriers to registering to vote are a feature, not a bug. The bill erects bureaucratic roadblocks to discourage and disqualify voters who don’t fit into the narrow, historically privileged mold. At the same time, voters with stable documentation, uninterrupted access to government services, and flexible work schedules – often white, male, and well-resourced – are left untouched.

This fight is about more than red tape. It’s about who gets to participate in shaping our future. If we allow this bill to become law, we’ll be turning back the clock on decades of hard-won progress toward equality at the ballot box.

Stand up for the right of every voice – especially those historically excluded – to be heard. Tell the Senate to reject the SAVE Act.

Thank you for standing up for democracy, equality, and the freedom to vote.

Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action