Statement on SAVE Act Passing in the House

Statement from Kimberly Inez McGuire, Executive Director of URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, on passage of the SAVE Act in the House: 

“Let’s be clear: the SAVE Act isn’t about ‘saving’ anything. It’s about suppressing votes. This bill is another attack by politicians who are terrified of a generation that’s informed, fired up, and demanding change. 

“The bill pretends to protect elections by requiring burdensome citizenship documentation to vote. But here’s the truth: noncitizen voting in federal elections is already banned, has severe penalties (including deportation), and is extremely rare. This bill isn’t fixing a real problem—in fact, it’s creating one with Gen Z as a main target. The SAVE Act will make it harder for young people, students, and first-time voters—especially those without easy access to passports or birth certificates— to exercise their constitutional right to cast a ballot. 

“Most 18- and 19-year-olds aren’t walking around with a file cabinet of legal paperwork. First-time voters, college students, people who’ve moved recently, or those without the means to track down expensive records—they’d be the first to get shut out. 

“We see through it, and we won’t stay silent. Democracy doesn’t work when it’s built on fear and lies. It works when everyone can participate.”