On March 28, FAWCO joined four other partner organizations – the US Vote Foundation, the Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO), American Citizens Abroad (ACA) and the Secure Families Initiative – in signing and publishing a letter opposing the dangerous “SAVE” Act.
Read the letter, send it to your Representative and Senators, and phone them immediately to share your opposition to the bill and your determination to vote. Do so even if you are certain how they will vote on the bill. Members of Congress track the views of their constituents, and they want to keep their jobs. Also, spread the word about the letter and the problem in your club and community. The more overseas Americans speaking up about this bill, the better.
Act now! Congress may vote on the bill as soon as next week.
Background
FAWCO has worked with the US Vote Foundation, AARO and ACA on not only overseas voting but also a range of issues affecting Americans overseas, including in Overseas Americans Week. The Secure Families Initiative represents the families of US service members, many of whom live and serve outside the USA.
Threat of so-called “SAVE” Act to overseas voting
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, H.R. 22 / S. 128, would effectively end voter registration by mail; instead of simply mailing a form, most Americans would have to present a birth certificate or passport in person to a local election official, every single time they register or re-register to vote. The SAVE Act would also upend or eliminate online voter registration. The ostensible aim is to prevent voting by non-citizens, which is already illegal.
The Act would also “save” a number of married women from voting, as the name on the ID presented must exactly match the current name of the voter presenting it. How many women who are or have been married have exactly the same names as those on their birth certificates?
Find out more about this dangerous bill here.
How to contact members of Congress
To find and contact your US Senators:
- Visit the Senate website.
- Search for your Senators using the Contact link (scroll down to find it and select your state).
- On the results page is a link to the Senators’ websites, contact information, and links to an online contact form (forms vary by Senator).
To find and contact your US Representative:
Visit the House of Representatives website.
- Search using the Find Your Representative tab (click on it, enter your zip code and click Go).
- On the results page is a photo of your Representative(s), links to the Representative’s personal website and online contact form, and a local map.
- If your zip code overlaps with multiple congressional districts, the results page will include boxes for you to enter your zip code+4 or mailing address to find the correct Representative.