Current US law makes it illegal for non-citizens to register and vote in federal or state elections. We have robust processes ensuring that only eligible voters cast ballots. However, Congress is about to vote on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which requires eligible voters to provide citizenship documentation to register to vote.
Under this law, every American citizen would have to show very specific documents, like a passport or an original birth certificate, in person when registering to vote and whenever they update their voter registration. You may be among the millions of eligible voters who do not have the documentation required by this law to prove your citizenship.
The estimated 122,000 voting age McLean County citizens could all be impacted by this law at some point in their lives. For example any married women who changed their last name would be required to secure updated documentation to register to vote. They may not possess these which match their current legal name and therefore, could not present it as valid proof of citizenship.
Whenever a voter moves, they must re-register to vote. Under the SAVE Act, voters must show citizenship documentation every time they register, including after a move. This includes military voters who would need documentation in addition to their military ID to prove citizenship after each move.
Families who have lost documents through fire or natural disaster would be required to replace these documents to register while trying to rebuild their lives.
Similar actions in Arizona, Alabama, Kansas, and Georgia have been struck down as unconstitutional. Tell your elected representatives to vote NO on the SAVE Act by going to
www.senate.gov and
www.house.gov.