Joe Morelle Condemns GOP's SAVE Act for Disenfranchising Americans

The SAVE Act's Impact on Voter Registration

• 🗳️ The SAVE Act, according to Rep. Joe Morelle, would fundamentally alter voter registration in the U.S. by ending mail-in registration.
• 🚶‍♀️ American citizens would be required to appear in person at an election office and provide specific documents to register.
• 📄 This process is described as a paperwork nightmare and a mountain of bureaucracy, creating enormous burdens for citizens.

Barriers to Registration Under the SAVE Act

• 🆔 Most Americans would be unable to register using their Real ID.
• 📜 Approximately 70 million American women would be unable to register using their birth certificate if they have changed their name after marriage.
• ⚠️ The bill could disenfranchise survivors of domestic abuse who have changed their names for safety.

Financial and Logistical Costs

• ✈️ While passports are allowed for registration, half of Americans do not have one, and obtaining one costs $130 plus fees, potentially costing citizens billions.
• 🚗 Rural voters, who often register online or by mail, would be forced to drive long distances to register in person.
• 👴 Senior citizens, who may lack documentary proof like passports or birth certificates, would also face significant hurdles.

Impact on Military Personnel

• 🎖️ Members of the military would need to present their military ID and a copy of their service record showing their place of birth.
• 🌍 Service members born abroad or naturalized citizens would be blocked from using their military ID for registration.
• ✈️ The act could prevent members of the armed forces from registering to vote while deployed overseas.

The True Intent of the SAVE Act

• 🤫 Morelle asserts that the SAVE Act is not primarily aimed at preventing non-citizens from voting, but rather at silencing and disenfranchising US citizens.
• 🇺🇸 The bill aims to increase burdens and costs—in time, money, and effort—for American citizens to exercise their fundamental right to vote.
• ⚖️ The speaker strongly urges the defeat of this bill, emphasizing the importance of the right to freely and fairly participate in elections.