SAVE Act Bills Could Block Millions From Voting in the U.S.
Three bills pending in Congress are aimed at stopping millions of Americans from voting.
One is the hugely unpopular SAVE Act that was first introduced last year and that prevents US citizens from registering to vote or updating a registration unless they can present a narrow list of citizenship documents, like a passport or birth certificate.
More than 20 million Americans do not have ready access to such documents and these Americans would simply lose the right to register and vote.
The original SAVE Act is now accompanied by two very similar bills that are equally misnamed: the SAVE America Act and the Make Elections Great Again Act.
Each of these bills would also upend routine election processes like online voter registration and registration by mail, creating chaos for state and local election officials.
The impacts fall most heavily on people of color, married women who change their names, and young adults.
The impacts would be enormous on the youngest voters, the 8 million turning 18 between the 2024 election and the 2026 midterms, because so few of them are already registered.
These bills are designed to block eligible voters and therefore interfere with free and fair elections. We must act now to stop them from going any further.
Three things you can do to stand up against the SAVE Act bills
There are three things you can do to stand up against the SAVE Act bills in all their forms - because we, the people, should choose our leaders. Our leaders don’t get to choose their voters.
First, contact your Senators and your members of Congress.
You can use this email campaign to get started.
Call them, too. Here is a look up tool.
And here is a call script:
Hello [name of person answering phone],
I’m [your name] and I live in your district state at [your city or zip code].
I’m calling because I oppose the SAVE Act bills. Millions of US citizens do not have ready access to a passport or birth certificate, but they have the right to register and vote. The SAVE Act bills represent the opposite of what Congress should be doing when it comes to voting rights. We should be making elections more accessible, not less.
Please let the [Senator / Member of Congress] know that I’m urging him/her to vote against it and do everything in their power to stop it.
Thank you.
Second, spread the word
Please share this post or forward it to a friend. Congress is moving fast, and time is of the essence to oppose these bills.
Third, help everyone you know who is eligible to register to do so right now.
This especially includes the 8 million young people who will be old enough to vote for the first time in November 2026. For those who can register online, here is a link to do so. Many online systems require a driver’s license or state ID, which young people often do not have - if that includes your friends and family, you can download paper forms here (just scroll down to find your state). Young adults care about the issues but they may need help overcoming the obstacles to registration.