Action Alert: Oppose the SAVE Act

Date: April 10, 2025

To: All LWVOR members

From: Lisa Bentson, LWVOR President

Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator

Barbara Klein, Portfolio Advocate

Request: Oppose the SAVE Act

The House just passed the harmful Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require documented proof of citizenship to register to vote — a move that disproportionately affects voters of color and women, making voting harder for millions of eligible Americans.

Now it’s in the Senate. Let’s make sure Oregon’s senators hear from us loud and clear.

Contact Senators Wyden and Merkley to urge them to oppose the SAVE Act and continue defending the freedom to vote. Share this with others in Oregon.

Deadline: ASAP

Talking Points:

• It is already illegal for non-citizens to register and vote in federal or state elections. 

• Requiring a document to prove American citizenship to register to vote creates a barrier to the voting process, as many eligible voters – particularly people of color - do not have easy access to necessary documents.

Background Information: 

Voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering.

Compared to white US citizens, citizens of color are three times more likely to lack documents such as birth certificates, passports, naturalization certificates, or certificates of citizenship or they face difficulties accessing them. For example, while approximately half of all American adults possess a passport, two-thirds of Black Americans do not.

Similar legislation has already been implemented by some states and has had a demonstrably negative impact on voters’ ability to participate in elections

• In 2011, Kansas passed a law that required proof of citizenship to register to vote. When the law went into effect in 2013, more than 31,000 eligible voters were prevented from registering. This law was declared unconstitutional by federal courts and is no longer enforced.

• Additional actions to require documentary proof of citizenship in Arizona, Alabama, and Georgia were also struck down.

Don't let Congress make voting harder. Oppose the SAVE Act now!

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