5 minutes to make a difference for democracy
The Election Assistance Commission needs to hear from you. Deadline Monday, October 20.
You might remember hearing about the SAVE Act, which would have required voters in federal elections to provide proof of citizenship. That bill has not (yet) passed in the Senate.
Meanwhile, proponents of the SAVE Act filed a rulemaking petition at the Election Assistance Commission to do administratively what the SAVE Act was/is trying to do legislatively, and that is making it harder to register to vote. The new rules would require citizens registering to vote using the federal form to provide a passport or similar document to register. Not even a birth certificate would suffice!
The Civics Center has submitted a public comment to oppose the new rule. We are working alongside others in the pro-democracy community to call on our networks to help.
Can we count on you to help The Civics Center and other pro-democracy organizations oppose this rule? It takes less than 5 minutes!
Here’s how:
1. Select a comment from the list below.
2. Copy and paste it into the “Comment” box here: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EAC-2025-0236-0001
(update: this document is not currently accepting comments)
Extra bonus points if you take 30 seconds to personalize the comment with notes about your own experience or perspective.
3. Submit by Monday, October 20.
Sample Comments (you can select one or more or add your own in the Comment box; these examples were provided by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights):
This “show-your-papers” requirement was a bad idea when Congress tried to do it with the SAVE Act, and it’s a bad idea here too. Do not go through with this!
This could block millions of Americans from voting! Don’t do it!
I’m an American citizen and I’ve been voting for years. I have a passport, but millions of young Americans don’t. If you agree to this, you’ll be making it harder for them to vote, and blocking millions of other Americans from voting. Please don’t go through with this.
If you agree to this, it looks like I couldn’t even register to vote using my birth certificate?!? I’m an American citizen who’s voted for years. This doesn’t solve anything – it’s only going to block Americans from voting.
Many women changed their name when they got married, and now their passport doesn’t match their current name. Are you going to handle the $165 cost and the months of waiting and jumping through bureaucratic hoops it’ll take to update that, just so those women can continue exercising their right as a citizen to vote? Or is that going to fall to me? Please vote no!
There’s a reason Congress didn’t pass the SAVE Act. This is bad news! Don’t do this behind all of our backs when we already told Congress no.
I’m against requiring citizens to submit a passport, birth certificate, or other citizenship documents to register to vote! Only half of American citizens have a passport and 69 million American citizens don’t have a birth certificate with their current legal name on it, most of them women who changed their names when they got married.
And here’s another provided by The Civics Center:
So many young Americans do not have passports or other documentation to prove their citizenship. They are our future. They should not be shut out just as they are coming of age. Please vote no.
You do not have to provide your name, email address, or location to submit comments, but you may submit your name and email address if you want to receive confirmation of your submission.
That’s it! You’re supporting democracy and pushing back against efforts to thwart the fundamental right to vote.
Feel free to share this post with your friends and family. The more comments against this rulemaking the better.
Thank you!
The Civics Center