Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 12 attorneys general, is urging the U.S. Senate to reject the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, warning that the legislation would improperly nationalize election administration, impose sweeping new barriers to voter registration, and disenfranchise millions of eligible Americans. If enacted, the SAVE America Act would require Americans to present documentary proof of citizenship in person to register or update their voter information, effectively eliminating online, mail-in, and automatic voter registration nationwide.

“This proposal is an unprecedented and unabashed power grab that would strip states of their long-recognized authority over elections. It would dismantle modern voter registration systems that voters across the country rely on to make their voices heard in our democracy,” said Raoul. “The right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights we have as Americans, and I will continue to join with other attorneys general to protect voters’ constitutional right to vote.”   

In today’s letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Attorney General Raoul and the coalition warn that the SAVE America Act would eliminate online voter registration used by most states, as well as mail-in registration relied upon by service members and overseas voters. The legislation would also cripple automatic voter registration systems that help keep voter rolls accurate and secure. As a result, the attorneys general argue, the SAVE America Act would disproportionately harm working-class Americans, rural voters, young people and people whose legal names no longer match their birth certificates. An estimated 21 million voting-age citizens lack ready access to a passport, birth certificate or naturalization record, and nearly 80% of married women would not have documentation that reflects their current legal name.

The attorneys general emphasize that citizenship is already required to vote in federal elections and that states already use robust systems to verify voter eligibility. They note that noncitizen voting is exceedingly rare and has never been shown to impact federal election outcomes, while documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements have repeatedly been shown to disenfranchise tens of thousands of eligible voters.

Attorney General Raoul and the coalition urge the Senate to reject the SAVE America Act and oppose any effort to federalize election administration, calling on lawmakers to respect state sovereignty and protect Americans’ fundamental right to vote.

Joining Attorney General Raoul in sending the letter are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington.