Are U.S. citizens living overseas at risk of losing their right to participate in federal elections? Concerns are mounting as Republican leaders on Capitol Hill push for legislation that would create significant obstacles for at least 2.8 million voting-age Americans residing abroad.
Democrats Abroad recently issued an urgent warning titled “Stop the SAVE Act!” The alert refers to H.R. 22, known as the Safeguard Voter Eligibility Act, an amended version of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act. The bill’s stated goal is to “require proof of United States citizenship to register an individual to vote in federal elections, and for other purposes.”
Democrats Abroad have labeled the SAVE Act as “a voter disenfranchisement bill, pure and simple,” explaining that it would affect millions of Americans and effectively end voting from abroad due to the new voter registration requirements it proposes.
The organization further explains that the bill would require voters registering or updating their registration to present IDs that many Americans do not possess, and that these IDs would need to be presented in person. “These requirements severely restrict access to voting,” the group states.
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