SAVE the vote? Not if we listen to Republicans…
Recently, I introduced the Vote at Home Act – which would bring Oregon's convenient and widely accessible vote-at-home system nationwide. It would give all eligible voters the option to vote by mail with pre-paid envelopes.
This bill gives Americans a greater voice in government – something sorely needed at a time when so many feel that leaders don't hear them.
But what are Republicans working on in the meantime? Voter suppression.
A few weeks ago, the GOP House passed a bill with a deeply deceptive title: the SAVE Act. It's a blatant attempt to roll back state practices – like those right here in Oregon – that make voting secure and easy. And Senate Republicans hope to send it to Donald Trump's desk.
The SAVE Act forces states to conduct unnecessary purges of voter rolls. It outlaws online and mail-in voter registration (used heavily in Oregon), making voting access especially difficult for Americans in rural areas.
And if you're among the millions of people who've changed their names since birth – including through marriage – the SAVE Act means that your current documentation may not be enough to prove your identity.
That's the height of absurdity – and it shows just how deep Republicans are willing to go to suppress people's voices.
Their bill doesn't "secure" elections; it just punishes people who live far away from government offices, and people who've legally changed their names.
Voting by mail is safe, secure, and easy. Oregonians know that because we've been doing it for decades. We should be making voting easier and more accessible, not harder.
More soon,
Ron
