The SAVE Act Would Undermine the Inclusive Democracy That Is Vital to Jewish Safety

The House of Representatives today passed H.R. 22, also known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs urged Members of Congress to vote against the bill because it would add new requirements in order to register to vote that could disenfranchise millions who have changed their names or lack access to documents like birth certificates. 

Following the vote, Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council of Public Affairs, released the following statement:

“The right to vote is at the core of our democracy – and at a moment when democracy is facing an unprecedented threat, it’s no surprise that this right is among the first to be targeted. The SAVE Act, as well as the President’s unlawful executive order, seeks to disenfranchise millions – requiring onerous and unnecessary new requirements just to register to vote. 

“We’re seeing dangerous conspiracy theories about stolen elections underpin the push for this bill – the very same conspiracy theories that have fueled deadly violence targeting the Jewish, Black, and Latino communities, among others. 

“Jewish safety is interwoven with the inclusive, pluralistic democracy that has allowed our community to thrive in America for generations. That is why Jewish Americans were proudly at the vanguard of the civil rights movement. Any actions that make our democracy less representative, make it easier to exclude voters, advance bigoted or racist conspiracy theories, or embolden extremist groups leave us all less safe. The SAVE Act does all of this.  

“Make no mistake: our elections are safe, voter fraud is incredibly rare, and the impact of these policies would be dangerous. The Senate should reject this undemocratic bill – because continuing to spread the lie of stolen elections, while using it to disenfranchise millions, threatens all of us.”