Padilla Statement on House Passage of SAVE Act That Would Disenfranchise Millions of Americans
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, issued the following statement after the House of Representatives narrowly passed Republicans’ Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which threatens to disenfranchise millions of eligible American citizens by creating overly burdensome documentation requirements, among other voter suppression provisions:
“The anti-voter SAVE Act that House Republicans passed today would disenfranchise millions of American citizens from making their voices heard at the ballot box — that includes married women, rural voters, servicemembers overseas, and Americans simply looking to register or re-register, online or by mail. The SAVE Act is a misguided ‘solution’ in search of a problem that does not exist.
“Voting by noncitizens is already a federal crime, and it is extremely rare. This is just another attempt by Donald Trump and extreme Republicans to scapegoat immigrants for their loss in the 2020 election. Let me be clear: this is not about immigrants or immigration. This is about the voting rights of American citizens.
“I am leading the fight in the Senate to push back against this effort to disrupt our already safe and secure elections. This bill cannot pass the Senate — and I will fight every step of the way to block it.”
Senator Padilla has led the charge opposing President Trump and Republicans’ reckless attempts to restrict the right to vote. Earlier this week, Padilla warned Secretaries of State, Lieutenant Governors, and Chief Election Officials across the country of the devastating potential impacts of Republicans’ SAVE Act, concerns that have been echoed by top election officials across the country. Last week, Padilla led 11 Senators in introducing the Defending America’s Future Elections Act to repeal Trump’s illegal anti-voter executive order and prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive voter registration data and state records. Padilla also led 14 Democratic Senators in calling on Trump to revoke his illegal anti-voter executive order and issued a statement slamming the order when it was announced.
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