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 

The post Fact-Checking the Claims About Voting and What They Mean for the SAVE Act appeared first on Voting Access For All.

Under the House-passed bill, eligible voters would have to present documents such as a U.S. passport, a certified birth certificate, or naturalization papers when they register.

The SAVE America Act is part of a broader set of related proposals introduced in the 119th Congress, including the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act. Collectively, these are being referred to as the “SAVE Act suite of bills.”

Related proposals in the SAVE Act suite would go further by requiring proof of citizenship at the polls and mandating absentee ballots to be received by Election Day.

Why this matters

More than 21.3 million eligible voters either do not have documentary proof of citizenship or do not have easy access to it.

Obtaining these documents can involve cost and time. For example:

• A certified birth certificate averages about $50
  
• A passport can cost between $30 and $160

Additional expenses may include transportation, replacing lost documents, or securing name-change records.

For people navigating housing instability, low wages, unreliable transportation, or limited access to government offices, these requirements could make registering or staying registered significantly more difficult.

What it could mean for election offices

Analysis of the MEGA Act states that it would create new criminal liability for registering someone to vote who does not provide documentary proof of citizenship. It would also allow the Department of Justice and private citizens to sue election officials over compliance with the new requirements.

Who could face the greatest barriers

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

These proposals would add new documentation requirements for eligible voters, including:

• People impacted by incarceration, poverty, housing instability, and systemic exclusion
  
• Military families who move frequently
  
• Families who have lost documents due to natural disasters
  
• Married women and others whose documents do not match their current name
  
• Communities that already face higher barriers to accessing official records

Take action

Tell your Senators to oppose the SAVE Act suite of bills using the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice action form here:

We will continue sharing updates as this legislation moves forward.

The post Tell Your Senators to Oppose the SAVE Act appeared first on Voting Access For All.