GOP fast tracks monster voter suppression bill

[Bayard]

GOP fast tracks monster voter suppression bill that could disenfranchise millions by requiring proof of citizenship at polls

Republicans are moving quickly to pass a bill requiring voters to show proof of citizenship both to register and at the polls ahead of the 2026 midterm elections — a move that experts warn could disenfranchise millions of Americans. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), the sponsor of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, said in a social media video Thursday night that House leadership would bring the proposal up for a vote next week.

The bill would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, as well as requiring photographic identification that proves citizenship to cast a ballot. In most states, that means voters, even those who are already on the rolls, would need to bring a passport or original birth certificate to the polls. Only states with ‘enhanced’ driver licenses — Michigan, New York, Vermont, Minnesota and Washington — satisfy the SAVE America Act’s heightened requirements — a REAL ID (used in most states) won’t cut it. The strict ID rules could keep millions of already-registered Americans who don’t have that documentation on hand from casting ballots. According to a Brennan Center for Justice analysis, around 21 million Americans could be disenfranchised. Half of Americans lack a passport, and millions more don’t have ready access to birth certificates to prove citizenship. The bill could also kick millions of married women who took their husband’s last name off the rolls.

The proposal would also require state election officials to aggressively scrub their voter rolls, which, history shows, would lead to thousands of improper cancellations of legitimate eligible voter registrations. The House passed a similar version, aimed just at registrations, last spring, which was also sponsored by Roy. That less expansive SAVE Act was described to Democracy Docket by one historian as “the most extraordinary attack on voting rights in American history.”

Republican backers say the measures are necessary to keep noncitizens from voting. But noncitizen voting is a crime that is easily caught and prosecuted, which is perhaps one reason why it’s exceedingly rare. Recent lengthy reviews of voter rolls conducted by Republican election administrators have turned up precious few instances of noncitizens even on the rolls, let alone voting. Meanwhile, registration file purges have improperly kicked thousands of legal voters off the rolls.

https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/gop-fast-tracks-monster-voter-suppression-bill-that-could-disenfranchise-millions-by-requiring-proof-of-citizenship-at-polls/

This is a MUST read! I would be one of those who couldn't vote.