Padilla Statement on Republicans’ Latest Attempt to Pass SAVE Act to Suppress the Right to Vote for 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 as Republicans in Congress introduced the SAVE America Act, an updated version of the anti-voter SAVE Act which threatens to disenfranchise millions of eligible American citizens by creating even more burdensome documentation requirements, among other voter suppression provisions:

"Once again, extremist Republicans are proving that they will stop at nothing to cause chaos in the midterm elections, pushing an even worse version of the anti-voter SAVE Act to mask their unaffordable and unpopular agenda. Instead of working to hold ICE and CBP accountable, Donald Trump and Republicans are focused on restricting the right to vote based on baseless conspiracy theories and anti-immigrant fearmongering.

"Let me be clear: voting by noncitizens in federal elections is already a felony and it is extremely, extremely rare. This bill does nothing to secure our elections while seeking to disenfranchise millions of married women, military members and spouses, and rural, low-income, and minority voters. It also punishes voters in states that do not comply with Trump's illegal pressure campaign for state voter information.

"This effort is nothing but a blatant voter suppression tactic in service of an out-of-control Trump Administration, and I will fight to ensure it's dead on arrival in the Senate."

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