From the April 1, 2025 Issue of dcDIGEST
STOP talking about GREENLAND! And look at what’s going on with the SAVE Act! We’ve watched it fast-track through the Republican House and were concerned about its potential for massive voter suppression. Now we learn that Trump, scared that it may not pass in the Senate, created a shiny new executive order to throw against the wall.
And it’s completely unlawful—only states and congress, not presidents, decide election law. Critics are calling it “the SAVE Act but much worse, an illegal power grab to block tens of millions from voting.”.
League of Women Voters CEO Celina Stewart makes it plain: “Let’s keep it real: this is not about protecting elections; it is about making it harder for voters—particularly women voters—to participate in them. This executive order is an assault on our republic and a dangerous attempt to silence American voters. The President continues to overstep his authority and brazenly disregard settled law.”
We Don’t Need this Act. Only American citizens are allowed to vote in elections. False claims of voter fraud have been refuted in hundreds of ways—it is not a significant problem and easy to fact check.
The “SAVE Act” Executive Order is an attempt to change how we currently vote. One change requires voters to present proof of citizenship bearing their current name, in person, when registering to vote or changing registration details. Sounds simple, yes? Look closer!
The Republicans’ Goal is Voter Suppression. The “in-person” requirement functionally ends mail-in and online registrations—a source for 30% of voter registrations in 2022, 18 million people. It is planned to and will suppress votes. So almost overnight, mail-in and online registrations gone! That’s a lot of convenience out the door. A lot of people affected.
But it gets worse—the devil is in the details. Consider this measure’s wallop on large voter populations:
Married Women who have changed their surname (84%, about 69 million American women), would be unable to prove citizenship because their original birth certificate would not reflect their current married name—effectively disenfranchising millions of women.
Veterans are also a huge group that will find registering to vote much harder. Military IDs must be submitted with the veteran’s service record, but many don’t keep service docs with them.
College Students, representing large numbers of new voters, often do not have birth certificates or other needed documents with them at school..
Black and Brown voters have a long history of finding obstacles in voter registration. We should be making it easier to vote. This order does the opposite!
Trans People often change their name and/or gender marker. This act seeks to de-legitimate those changes.
Voting experts say this executive order will throw our elections into chaos by:
Forcing the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to decertify an array of election equipment—this could paralyze elections, particularly in the 11 red and blue states and D.C. that have laws requiring their elections to be carried out with EAC-certified equipment.
Giving the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) authority to review states’ voter rolls.
Withholding federal funds from states that do not cooperate with the order’s provisions.
Prohibiting the counting of absentee and mail ballots postmarked by Election Day but received after, which is currently allowed in 18 states and Washington DC.
Enabling creation of a federal elections agency, conveniently serving the White House goals.
Fair Fight CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo comments, “This is about locking the doors to democracy and handing the keys to oligarchs and super rich campaign donors.”
Our conclusion? Everything about this is wrong. It does not fix a problem and clearly is not in our interest! It would make voting confusing and unreliable.
How can we prevent this from jeopardizing our fair elections? Shout! Pressure legislators; call, write, repeat—let them know you reject it. SAVE our right to vote by defeating the “SAVE Act” executive order.
SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER
email
Call: (202) 224-6542
Write: 322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
SENATOR KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND
email
Call: (202) 224-4451
Write: 478 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
REP. JOSH RILEY
email
Call: (202) 225-5441
Write: 128 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
