Voter Alert: Bad Law Spreading, Commissioners Fired
Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash
By Jo-Ann Johnston
President Donald J. Trump continues to complain that the SAVE Act, his favored federal voting bill, failed to pass the Senate this year. But now he’s getting some help in certain states that are trying to give him limited versions of what he wants. And even that’s bad news for voters.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act and its later version, the SAVE America Act, would essentially require Americans to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote and again if they re-register after a move.
It’s not as easy as it sounds unless you already have a valid passport.
Extra steps to fulfill
Getting a passport (now $165) generally requires producing a birth certificate showing a name that matches the would-be voter’s current surname. There is also a cost in time, fees, and transportation to obtain these items.
While Trump Republicans claim they want to create safeguards against non-citizens casting votes illegally, such crime hardly exists.That excuse is a smokescreen to try to eliminate voters, who as a group, are less likely to support Republican candidates.
SAVE requirements would make it harder and more expensive for lower income people, rural voters, women, disabled people, first-time voters, and certain other groups to cast ballots. They amount to more than 21 million people nationally, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. And that’s why the proposed federal act is opposed by so many.
But lawmakers loyal to Trump are persisting
Even though the proposed federal law is stalled, Republicans are getting similar legislation passed within their states – some in time to enforce for midterms, according to the nonprofit Center for American Progress. The center maps these states on its site.
And the state’s SAVE-look-alike acts will end up costing voters fees, just as the stalled federal bill would. So in practical terms, that leaves some citizens weighing questions like: Do I buy gasoline to get to work this month, or do I get an acceptable birth certificate and passport?
Check your status now
It’s imperative that people keep up with what is being required or proposed in their own states. Details and effective dates differ in subtle ways. If there is a state law where you live, find out if it will be enforced only in state and locations, or federal races, too. People who carry Tribal ID need to ask whether that will be recognized, and for what purposes.
If you don’t know where to start, visit VoteRiders.org and look up your state.
Even if you personally would be able to satisfy what is essentially a fancy new poll tax, please help oppose the spread of these burdensome state laws. And be an ally in helping reverse such acts where SAVE-type laws have passed.
And please watch for
Late last week, President Trump effectively halted the functioning of a commission we usually don’t hear about: the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The president fired the remaining members of the bipartisan commission – something the U.S. Supreme Court has just allowed him the latitude to do – after a vacancy opened up one spot. This leaves no one to take action, so far, should any be needed.
The commission was created by Congress in 2000 to help states exchange information that is helpful in their duties of running elections. But seeing Trump, who is so concerned about the course and outcome of the midterm elections, jump into commission personnel matters is alarming. We don’t yet know what will happen next and why, although reporting from news outlets suggests the panel’s work for the midterms is already complete.
But the nonprofit news site Votebeat reported that Trump’s sudden involvement “created concerns that the president might take further steps to weaken the agency that distributes congressionally-apportioned election funding to states and certifies voting equipment.”
At Project 2029, we regard any attempts at dismantling the functional, administrative systems put in place for running elections as the products of an authoritarian mindset, not a democratic one.
Further, we the people understand how fundamental our democratic voting rights are to all other rights. As stated in our Pillars, we insist that the right to vote be guaranteed to every adult American citizen.
