Attorney General Charity Clark, along with a coalition of 17 other attorneys general, opposes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, also known as H.R. 22. This legislation, if passed, would impose proof of citizenship requirements on voters, which the coalition argues would disenfranchise a significant number of eligible voters.
The coalition argues that the SAVE Act would amend the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), reversing decades of progress in making voter registration more accessible and inclusive. Attorney General Clark stated, "This bill goes beyond a solution in search of a problem; it is a brazen attempt to strip citizens, mostly women, of their ability to vote in the largest attack on voter eligibility since the Jim Crow laws." She emphasized that while the law aims to prevent non-citizens from voting, the actual occurrence of such incidents is exceedingly rare.
In their letter to House Speaker Michael Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the coalition highlighted the negligible risk of non-citizen voting. Studies reveal that in areas with significant immigrant populations, only 0.0001% of votes are cast by non-citizens. The coalition contends that the SAVE Act would primarily impact low-income, minority voters, and married women.
The letter points out that over 21 million voting-age citizens lack immediate access to required documents like passports or naturalization records. Additionally, 80% of married women might not have valid birth certificates under the new requirements if they have changed their last name after marriage. The coalition also raises concerns about the administrative and financial challenges the Act would impose on state election systems. States would have to overhaul registration procedures and establish new verification systems, with severe penalties for official errors.
The attorneys general urge Congress to reject the SAVE Act, advocating for accessible voting rights for all eligible citizens without compromising election integrity.
In addition to Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark, attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington have joined in writing this letter.
A full copy of the letter is available for public reading.