Voting Rights

Until 1920, women did not have the right to vote—and over a century later—barriers to prevent individuals from voting are still prevalent. Voting affects all our social justice issues, and in order to maintain a robust democratic society, it is crucial for as many eligible voters as possible to easily be able to vote.

What we are currently watching:  

• John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 14/ S. 2523) – would restore, modernize, and revitalize the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
   
• Freedom to Vote Act (S. 1/H.R. 11 in the 118th Congress) – includes new provisions that restrict the removal of election officials without cause, imposes stronger protections for federal election records, protects the vote tabulation process from interference and intimidation, restricts states from banning the distribution of food and water to those waiting in line to vote, and adds back in Election Day as a federal holiday, among others.  

• SAVE Act (H.R. 22/ S. 128) – would disenfranchise tens of millions of voters by requiring prospective voters to present a birth certificate or passport in person when registering or reregistering to vote. The fact is, nearly half of all Americans do not have a passport, and nearly 70 million women do not have a birth certificate which matches their legal, married name. Additionally, because documents must be provided in-person, this bill would end online, mail-in, and automatic voter registration, forcing the tens of millions of voters who move, change their name, or switch parties each election cycle to travel to the DMV or other government office to update their voter registration.

  This act would disproportionately harm elderly voters, disabled voters, rural voters, and low-income voters who face unique barriers when traveling to voter registration centers. What’s more, The SAVE Act also enables private citizens to levy civil and criminal charges against election workers suspected of purposefully or inadvertently registering a non-eligible voter. Already, 1 in 3 election officials report facing harassment, threats, and abuse while nearly 1 in 2 know someone who has left their job due to safety concerns. This bill targets the very foundation of our electoral system.

• SAVE America Act (H.R. 7296): Like the SAVE Act, the SAVE America Act would require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate, passport, or Real ID) when registering to vote or updating their voter registration in federal elections. It also requires states to share voter rolls with the Department of Homeland Security to verify that voters are citizens, or voters would have to provide documentary proof of citizenship again at the polls to cast a ballot.  
   
• Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act (H.R. 7300): Would implement similar proof of citizenship requirements as the SAVE America Act, but would add some additional barriers. This Act would require photo IDs to vote, prohibiting the use of student IDs. It also would abolish universal vote by mail which would require all voters who want to vote by mail must apply and mail-in ballots must be received by election day. This legislation would also mandate voter roll purges every 30 days which would eliminate the existing prohibition on purges 90 days before Election Day. Finally, like in the original SAVE Act, this bill would establish a private right-of-action, allowing individuals to sue local election officials who they believe violate the law.