The government has a record of our birth. They know who was born in this country. They know when. And they know where. It is the responsibility of the hospital or midwife to report births. They know who has gained citizenship through the naturalization process. They know this information so well that they are planning to automatically register our sons for the draft. They know when we get married because we have to obtain a marriage license to do so. They know when we change our names because we are required to tell them. They know when we die because others are required to inform them. So, why are Republicans trying to force every one of us to proffer proof of our citizenship to vote instead of automatically registering every U.S. citizenship to vote upon turning 18 years of age?
Republicans are doing this because they understand that their policies are unpopular and that their corruption is so egregious that the vast majority of citizens no longer want them in power. So, while they are in power, they are determined to rig the voting system to hold on to it. That is what the “Save America Act” is about. It’s not about saving America through safe and secure elections, it is about maintaining Republican power over America and transforming it into a fascist authoritarian government under white Christian nationalist control.
One seemingly acceptable way to do this is to require everyone to present “voter ID” to register to vote. On the surface that sounds reasonable. Never mind that it is already illegal for a non-citizen to vote and almost none have voted. The very few who have tried were easily identified. This isn’t a problem that requires fixing. So, since they know who we are, why isn’t our driver’s license, military ID or school ID enough to cross check with government citizenship records? Why must we prove what they already know? Republicans want us to prove we have the right to vote because they know this request presents many people with difficult and expensive hurdles to overcome. It is a form of voter suppression.
First of all, not everyone has their birth certificate handy. In fact, for anyone who has changed their name since birth through marriage, adoption, or for any other reason, they will also have to present a U.S. passport. Getting that passport costs about $165 plus professional pictures and documents and takes about eight weeks of processing time under normal conditions. Roughly half the country currently holds a valid U.S. passport. Imagine the backlog in the face of a greatly reduced workforce since DOGE fired many government workers. But even worse for many Americans is that the State Department under Marco Rubio is in charge of processing these requests. It is easy for him to rig the processing to slow walk applications from people living in blue counties and from registered democrats. I would not put it past this Rubio State Department since it has been revealed that they are stealing millions from hopeful visa applicants by taking their non-refundable application fees with no intention of approving their visas.
Another hurdle that they are determined to enforce are requirements to register in person. This places an undue burden on the elderly, the disabled, the sick, the traveler, and working people. They are trying also to eliminate voting by mail with only a few exceptions. Voting by mail has proven to increase voter participation and to be a secure method. Right now the Supreme Court is deciding if mail-in ballots cast prior to the deadline but arriving late because of the post office delay should be counted. The mail-in voting system isn’t broke and doesn’t need fixing unless you want to suppress the vote. We already know that Republicans in charge of state elections brought this current lawsuit and that they already limit voter turnout in urban areas by limiting or eliminating ballot drop boxes or polling places causing extremely long distances to polling placing and long lines that they know are prohibitive. Imagine the long distances and long lines when one has to register to vote? And then a second time when it is time to vote? It’s crystal clear that compelling someone to drive a long way and to wait nine, ten or eleven hours to cast a ballot while simultaneously denying others to provide them water or any form of sustenance during that wait is a form of voter suppression.
It is not surprising that Trump is thinking of planting federal ICE agents at polling placing as a form of intimidation. ICE has shown that they are willing to detain black and brown people under the suspicion that they might be here illegally, ignoring their documentation. How many people will be ripped out of voting lines or deterred from even trying to vote under these circumstances?
In addition to creating unnecessary voting hurdles and scaring people away from the polls, I’m concerned about who will be counting the ballots and certifying the results. Republicans know that they can only win by cheating and they have shown that they are willing to do it while accusing the other side of rigging elections. Their accusations always turn out to be confessions. In fact, the small amount of voter fraud has been discovered has nearly always turned out to be Republican actors.
We must fight against the passing of the SAVE America Act by contacting senators and letting them know that we are 100% against it. Should it pass, we must make sure we secure our passports and birth certificates right away. I’ve heard that women are considering reverting to their maiden names to match their birth certificates. That will save the time and cost of securing a passport. Moving forward, young women will certainly be reluctant to take on their husband’s name after marriage. I’m certain lawsuits will be filed immediately to stop this law from going into effect, and we have a civic duty to financially and morally support the civil rights organizations acting on our behalf to stop it. Some of these organizations include the League of Women Voters, ACLU, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Democracy Forward, Brennan Center for Justice and the National Urban League.
And finally, should their voter suppression efforts successfully prevent us from retaking control of our government from those who have shown themselves to be lawless liars who ignore the Constitution, rob us of our civil and human rights, destroy our economy, and lead us into illegal wars, and now present us with taxation without representation by denying us the right to vote, then revolution is our final option just as it was 250 ago.