HARRISBURG, PA – New Pennsylvania Project condemns the U.S. House’s 220-208 passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, requiring prospective voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote. The SAVE Act will create unnecessary barriers for millions of eligible U.S. citizens.
As a voting rights organization, we are vehemently opposed to any additional barriers that would make it more difficult to register to vote, and also to make it more difficult for our voices to be heard at the ballot box.
The SAVE Act disproportionately harms working people, young voters, new Americans, anyone who has changed their name, such as married people taking their spouse’s last name, and Black and brown communities.
The current regime is rewriting the rules to block us from voting because they know that when we all participate, we elect leaders who work for us, not just the rich and powerful.
The government already has the information it needs to determine who is eligible to vote. This act will enact a 21st-century poll tax and allow Elon Musk to comb through our voter files and access our private information. It will also strip the fundamental right to vote from more than 21 million eligible Americans who can’t produce, don’t have, can’t afford, or struggle to access the required documents.
“No one should have to pay to vote — but that’s exactly what this act is doing by requiring documents that cost money and require enormous time and effort to obtain. Make no mistake: This barrier would be a 21st-century poll tax designed to block people from having a say in the decisions that shape our lives,” said Kadida Kenner, founding CEO of New Pennsylvania Project.
“They know that most Americans support things like higher wages, affordable housing, and equitably funded public schools, so instead of winning our votes, they want to stop us from casting them,” Kenner added.
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The New Pennsylvania Project (NPP) is a voting rights organization with a year-round primary focus on voter registration, civic education and mobilization. NPP centers historically disenfranchised and often neglected Black, Indigenous and other people of color, immigrant communities, and the youth in our work. Through civic engagement, we ensure all eligible voters feel compelled to exercise their freedom to vote in the Commonwealth.
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Media Contact: Gaby Huerta, director of strategic communications, gaby@newpaproject.org, (484) 639 5045