During the recent State of the Union address, the President made several claims about voting, mail ballots, and noncitizen participation.

Those claims are now being used to justify the SAVE Act suite of bills, a dangerous voter suppression effort moving through Congress.

The House of Representatives has already passed the SAVE America Act. The bill now heads to the Senate for a vote next week.

Here is what the facts show.

Claim: Voting by mail is “crooked.”

Fact: Voting by mail is secure and widely used.

Research consistently shows that voter fraud is extremely rare. Americans are more likely to be struck by lightning than to commit mail voter fraud. Voting by mail has been used safely in the United States since the Civil War, including by military voters.

Today, roughly one in three Americans cast their ballot by mail, including military and overseas voters, seniors, students, and voters with disabilities.

Yet proposals within the SAVE Act suite would impose stricter absentee ballot requirements and new documentation mandates that could make voting by mail more difficult for eligible voters.

Claim: Noncitizen voting is “rampant.”

Fact: It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal or state elections.

Existing safeguards are in place, and studies show that instances of noncitizen voting are exceedingly rare. In one widely reported review of tens of millions of voter registrations, less than 0.02% of names were flagged for further review.

Despite this, the SAVE America Act would require Americans to present documentary proof of citizenship, such as a passport or certified birth certificate, in order to register to vote.

More than 21 million eligible voters do not have documentary proof of citizenship readily available.

Obtaining documents like a passport or certified birth certificate can cost money and take time. For people navigating housing instability, low wages, limited mobility, or inconsistent access to government offices, these requirements could create serious barriers to registration and participation.

False narratives about fraud are being used to advance sweeping new documentation requirements that would make voting harder for millions of eligible Americans.

This is why the SAVE Act suite is so concerning. It responds to claims that do not match the evidence, yet it would impose real and lasting consequences on voters across the country.

Take Action

The SAVE Act suite of bills is now before the Senate.

VAAC members can contact their Senators and urge them to oppose this dangerous voter suppression legislation using the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice action form:

We will continue to share updates as this legislation moves forward.

Source: When We All Vote