Introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and passed unanimously by all Rs and four Ds (among them Marie Glusenkamp Perez, Third District, WA), stands for Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. Really?

This Act amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 by introducing a requirement that individuals provide proof of US citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Looking further, however, one must realize an estimated 21.3M voters either don’t have proof of their citizenship (e.g., birth certificate or passport) or little to no access to either. Approx. 69M American women changed their birth names upon marriage; therefore, if they have a birth certificate, their last name wouldn’t match.

To remedy this, these women would be required to provide documentation in person to register to vote. Not a problem but if one lives in a rural area, is reliant on public transportation, is unable to leave their place of employment and/or not be accommodated due to disabilities, you bet there’s one.

To quote USA Today: “This bill could end voter registration drives, severely limit or eliminate online voter registration (used by 8M Americans in the 2022 election cycle), limit or end automatic voter registration and eliminate the ability to send in a voter registration application by mail used by 3M in 2022.”

There are numerous organizations opposed to this: Brennan Center for Justice, League of Women Voters of the United States, Common Cause, National Democratic Redistricting Committee among others.

Take action by sending an email to our Senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell opposing the S.A.F.E Act. Understand that your voice IS powerful: There are 341.96M people in our country with only 100 Senators and 435 Representatives for all of us. Your voice, your vote is enormous.

Gay Grahm,

San Juan Island