By Sara Jacobs in Washington, D.C.
In the U.S., eight in 10 women who marry change their last name. That means there are more than 60 million women in this country whose birth certificates may not have their current legal last names — and thanks to legislation the GOP is pushing this week, that could put their voter registration at risk.
Here’s what’s going on:
First, Republicans tried to pass a bill called the SAVE Act last year that would implement a whole bunch of new voter ID restrictions, making it significantly harder for people to vote. That bill failed — in large part because of massive public backlash.
Now, Trump is panicking about losing the midterms — so he’s pushing his party to try again.
Let’s be really clear about why he’s pushing this, because it has nothing to do with election security. It is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, and there are pretty strict penalties in place for people who break that law — including deportation. And voter fraud is incredibly rare — statistically, you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than ever witness an instance of voter fraud! The data is clear: it is just not a widespread issue.
So if they’re not trying to solve the problem of basically non-existent voter fraud, what are Trump Republicans doing with this new “SAVE America” Act?
Quite simply: make it harder to vote.
→ This legislation requires both a photo ID and documentation that proves American citizenship, like a passport or a birth certificate. Well, roughly half of Americans don’t have a passport. And we already know how problematic the birth certificate situation is — not to mention the fact that millions of people don’t even know where theirs is.
→ The bill would prohibit universal mail voting (like we have here in California), requiring tens of millions of people who usually receive ballots in the mail automatically to submit an application and include copies of their passport or birth certificate (hello, identity theft risk?).
→ It would completely upend online voter registration, which 42 states rely on.
→ It would send election workers to prison for up to five years for helping someone register without all the correct documents — even if that person is a U.S. citizen.
→ Even things like changing your address or your party registration would require you to go in person with certified paper documentation.
Of course, all of this disproportionately impacts younger voters, people of color, and women — and injects total chaos into our very safe and secure elections.
So — Republicans are pushing this right now in Congress and the House is scheduled to vote on it as soon as this week. What can you do about it?
I am a hard NO vote on this disenfranchising legislation, but my Republican colleagues need to hear just how much the public opposes this bill. You can see a list of cosponsors here — call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and let these folks know you strongly oppose the SAVE America Act.
Arm yourself with the facts about this bill, and have conversations with friends and family about what it will actually do.
Add your name to my petition opposing the SAVE America Act.
We have seen time and again over the past year that public outcries and external pressures CAN make a difference in what the GOP gets done — so please keep speaking out.
Thank you for reading — more to come.
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Sara Jacobs (D-51 California) is a congresswoman from San Diego.