Take it from California’s election czar, SAVE Act is a sham

Shirley N. Weber, Tribune News Service

In my family, voting isn’t just a right — it’s a lifeline. My parents were sharecroppers in Arkansas until 1951, when my dad dared stand up to his boss for not paying him a fair wage at the agricultural weigh station. Under threat from the KKK, he left town in a wagon, covered in hay so he wouldn’t be discovered. Three months later — after months of threats of violence from the Klan at our home — the rest of our family rode in that same wagon on our way to join him in California. Only when we settled in Los Angeles were my parents able to register to vote, finally free from fear of the violent and deadly retribution that such a simple act would trigger across the Jim Crow South. My family’s lived experience facing discrimination and the vigilantes of the South cannot be forgotten, especially now as Congress considers the SAVE Act. The House recently approved the SAVE Act under the guise that it will prevent illegal voting — an issue that is infinitesimally rare but buoyed by baseless narratives.

If passed by the Senate and signed into law, the act’s true effect would be to disenfranchise millions of voters across the country and in California. Americans must not be fooled by fearmongering and misleading rhetoric. The SAVE Act has one true intent: to silence millions of eligible voters. This effort intentionally targets unserved and underserved populations, anyone who has changed their last name and those serving in our armed forces, to name a few groups who would be affected. This proposal is both undemocratic and unconstitutional. It will not stop there. The bill will serve as a catalyst to unravel decades of hard-fought constitutional rights. You don’t have to be born in the Deep South to know this is Jim Crow 2.0. Some of our federal lawmakers are trying to steal our right to vote under the guise of phony election claims. Let me be clear: Voter fraud is virtually nonexistent.

According to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative organization, only 12 voter fraud cases have been prosecuted in California since 2021 — an infinitesimal fraction of millions of ballots cast. National studies confirm voter impersonation is exceedingly rare, with most claims rooted in clerical errors rather than deceit. Even if you believed illegal voting to be a problem in need of a solution, the SAVE Act is like swatting at a mosquito with a sledgehammer — unlikely to be effective against the target, and likely to cause a lot of collateral damage. No matter which state new voters are registering in, they must attest to their US citizenship when they register. And every state conducts voter list maintenance to identify potentially ineligible voters on the rolls. States already ensure the vote is safe without disenfranchising vulnerable groups.

By adding unnecessary and burdensome documentation requirements, the SAVE Act would keep millions of Americans from participating in elections. That’s the point. Certain lawmakers want millions of citizens to decide voting is not worth the trouble. The fewer people who vote, the more some candidates will benefit. This legislation would either directly affect you, somebody you know or both. Those most affected include:

* Newly married or divorced individuals and others navigating name changes.

* Military families stationed far from home.

* College students studying across state lines.

* Disaster survivors — including the tens of thousands of people displaced just this year by California wildfires — without vital documents.

The SAVE Act, by design, places incredible burdens on millions of people who are already eligible to vote. And if they decide to try to re-register for voting, they’ll face a Herculean task. State offices around the country will be flooded by millions of people seeking documentation of their citizenship.

Many older people might not be able to stand in line for hours. Citizens with disabilities may be effectively barred from acquiring documentation. If you have a current passport, you might be in luck — but roughly 140 million Americans don’t have one. And your California driver’s license or RealID won’t work; neither qualifies as proof of citizenship. Even before the SAVE Act landed in the Senate, California was fighting back against another push to take away constitutional rights. On March 25, President Trump issued an executive order that requires citizens to provide documentary proof of citizenship on the federal mail voter registration form. I have partnered with California Attorney General Rob Bonta to lead a lawsuit, along with Nevada, against the unconstitutional and unlawful executive order. Seventeen other state attorneys general have joined our fight.

Throughout our nation’s history, voting rights have been systematically curtailed to silence voices the powerful don’t want to hear from. From poll taxes abolished by the 24th Amendment in 1964 to barriers dismantled by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, every step forward has been a fight against deliberate disenfranchisement. Nobody can make a serious argument that the SAVE Act actually encourages people to vote, or even ensures eligible people can exercise their right to participate in our democracy. It’s meant to keep people away from voting. It’s an old story. Just ask my family about living in the South. Some lawmakers seem conveniently unconcerned about the constitutional rights of minorities, members of our military, women, and poor or rural citizens.

The Senate needs to stop this nonsense in its tracks. You can help. Contact your US senators today and urge them to oppose the SAVE Act. Educate your friends, family and community about the true intentions of this bill. Participate in local voter registration drives and support organizations fighting voter suppression. Your voice matters. Use it to defend democracy.