If the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act passes, it would require that all people registering to vote to have proof of citizenship that matches their legal name.
- This includes
- Passports
- Birth certificate
- This does not include
- Driver licenses
- Military IDs
- Tribal IDs
Consequences
- For women
- Over 80% of women in opposite-sex marriages change their last name. So they cannot use a birth certificate.
- About 69 million women do not have a birth certificate that matches their name.
- And an estimated 146 million American citizens do not possess a passport. If we assume half are women, then 73 million women do not have one.
- Americans in general
- 79% of Americans that make less than $50,000 do not have a passport.
- 63% of Americans overall don’t have a passport.
- 10% of Americans do not have or do not easily have access to a passport or a birth certificate
- Trans People
- Approximately 2/3 of trans people have changed their birth name. This would affect about 1.4 million.
Impact
It costs $160 to get a passport. This is inaccessible for many.
No one should have to pay to exercise their constitutional right and civic duty. (Potentially violating the 24th amendment.)
The house is voted to pass this on April 10th. Four democrats voted for it. To pass the senate, it needs 60 votes, or seven democrats to cross party lines. Call your senators. Remind them that they are beholden to you, the voter, and they need to earn that vote.
How You Can Take Action
Level 0.5 – Super Easy
Sign this petition by ResistBot to tell the senate to vote no!
You can also text Sign PTVCBT to 50409 to sign via text message.
Level 0.5 – Super Easy
Here’s a petition from the ACLU.
Level 0.5 – Super Easy
Get the word out: Tell your friends, share on social media.
Follow tags like #VotingRights, #VoterSuppression, #ProtectTheVote, #SAVEAct
Level 1 – Easy
Arm yourself with knowledge so you can refute lies and spread real information. Here’s a start:
American Progress’s Overview
9 Things to know about the SAVE Act from NCSL
Level 1 – Easy
Email your senators to demand that they say no to the using When We All Vote’s site that makes it easy to send a prefilled or personalized message.
Level 1 – Easy
Call your senators with 5Calls to or When We All Vote to demand that they say no to the SAVE Act and that to earn your vote, they must do so.
If leaving a voicemail, remember to leave your address so that your call is counted properly.
Level 1 – Easy
If you have a passport or birth certificate that matches, make sure you know where it is. Make sure the people in your life also have theirs.
Level 2, 3, or 4 (depending on your socioeconomic status)
If you do not have a birth certificate or a passport that matches, start the processes of getting one. Make sure others in your life do as well
Level 2 – Medium
Print this flyer from ResistBot with a QR code to the petition and more information. Put it up in places of high traffic and visibility.
Level 2 – Medium
Write a personal letter from scratch to your representative. Handwritten letters are rare and powerful, your story matters.
You can also use FaxZero to send a fax to your senator.
Level 3 – Hard
Attend a town hall and ask your rep where they stand on the SAVE ACT. Even if they are not directly voting, they can help to put pressure on senators on behalf of their constituents.
Go to Operation Sunshine for help on how to use a microphone to speak to public officials.
Find events on democrats.org, mobilize, or on your rep’s official site.
Image credit: https://www.pexels.com/@padrinan/
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