APIAVote warns SAVE Act would harm AAPI voter access

Urges Congress not to pass “this anti-voter measure,” to protect all Americans right to vote with fair and equal access

By Arun Kumar

Criticizing the passage of Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) has warned that it would harm AAPI) communities and historically marginalized groups’ right to vote.

Passed in the House of Representatives by a 220-208 vote, “this legislation presents an unnecessary and harmful barrier to voter registration, disproportionately affecting them, the civic rights advocacy group stated.

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“Not only does the SAVE Act impair government efficiency, it does so by harming many people’s right to vote. The fact that there has been so little evidence of non eligible voters casting ballots in federal elections underscores the point that requiring documentary proof of citizenship in-person in order to register, or re-register, to vote is an unnecessary solution to a nonexistent problem,” said Christine Chen, Executive Director of APIAVote.

“Many eligible voters including those in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community do not have readily available documents to meet SAVE Act requirements. Furthermore, our communities rely on methods such as online, mail and voter registration drives, and this draconian measure would effectively end those options. With the bill passing in the House today, the battle now shifts to the Senate where we will be working hard to make sure that our Senators know this bill that will prevent eligible voters from casting their ballot. ”

The SAVE Act would potentially affect an estimated 69 million American women who changed their names through marriage and don’t have passports, as these women rely on birth certificates that don’t reflect their current legal names, the nonprofit stated.

“Naturalized citizens, seniors, rural residents, and low-income individuals may also be impacted due to not having ready access to the required citizenship documents,” APIAVote stated. “It would also render voter registration drives – an important outreach effort, especially within communities of color – nearly impossible, and would eliminate widely used online and mail-in voter registration methods, making it harder for eligible voters to participate in elections.”

As the nation commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, APIAVote urged Congress not to pass “this anti-voter measure, to protect the right to vote and ensure all eligible Americans have fair and equal access to the ballot box.”