Action Alert: The SAVE and MEGA Acts
Action Alert: SAVE Act and MEGA Act (on behalf of the Disability Vote Coalition)
Barriers to Voting for People with Disabilities (Read DVC's full statement here.)
The Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition is concerned about the negative impact on voting rights and access for people with disabilities if the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, the SAVE America Act, and the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act are passed by the Senate. The SAVE Act was already passed in the House, and now the President is putting pressure on the Senate to pass the bill, saying he will not sign any bills until it passes.
This act would add more barriers to voting, such as:
Requiring every American citizen to provide specific documents, such as a costly passport or an original birth certificate, in person when registering to vote and whenever they update their voter registration.
Eliminating mail-in and online registrations.
Eliminating mail-in voting.
Requiring photo ID in every state (WI already requires photo ID to vote).
Limiting who can provide help to voters with disabilities.
Requiring the voter rolls from each state to be provided to the federal government. Voter rolls contain sensitive information, including your name, address, phone number, and birthdate.
The SAVE Act conflicts with voter protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Voting Rights Act. It would disproportionately impact people with disabilities, older adults, women who change their name when they get married, and people with low incomes. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has found that disabled voters are three times more likely to face difficulties casting a ballot than nondisabled voters.
Eliminating mail-in voting options and online voter registration adds transportation barriers that already pose problems for non-drivers.
Voter fraud is exceedingly rare, and non-citizens voting is even more rare; therefore, these bills are trying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist. Voter fraud is already a felony. Rather than protect voting, the SAVE Act would disenfranchise millions of Americans.
Take Action Now! If this is important to you, please contact your Senators. Find contact information for your Senators here.
