LAWMAKERS SHOULD REJECT THE SAVE ACT
Statement | March 17, 2026
Following is a statement by Tianna Mays, legal director at Democracy Defenders Action, regarding the The SAVE Act, which the Senate is slated to consider today.
"The SAVE Act is propaganda disguised as policy. It won't stop a single non-citizen from voting because that's already illegal. What it will do is block millions of eligible Americans from the ballot box, normalize federal overreach into state-run elections, and further erode trust in our democracy.
"The bill's present-your-papers requirements intentionally cast a wide net that would disenfranchise tens of millions of more eligible voters. This includes military personnel serving abroad, married women whose names don't match their birth certificates, rural residents far from government offices, disabled individuals facing accessibility hurdles, low-income voters, and communities of color. The harm is real and it is by design.
"The bill isn't good-faith policy. It's a power grab and a ploy by special interests to rig the outcome of our elections. Just last month, the president openly called for Republicans to 'take over the voting', and the White House press secretary admitted the SAVE Act is central to that goal. He has also urged GOP states to gerrymander more Republican districts. This is all part of the same anti-democratic project that calls for pre-determining electoral outcomes and shrinking the electorate to a select few.
"The SAVE Act stalled when first introduced in 2024, and it must fail now."
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Democracy Defenders Action brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.
