1 week Ago
By Denise Fazio I remember the news broadcasts showing fire hoses and attack dogs being unleashed on Black women and men who were simply trying to register to vote. I remember Freedom Summer 1964 and the violent backlash that resulted — not only the highly publicized deaths of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner. In the search for these three young men, the bodies of eight black men were discovered first; five couldn’t be identified, but two college students involved in the voter registration drive were.
There were other assaults and murders — before, during and after 1964 — too numerous to list here. Public outrage contributed to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Voter suppression — a shameful part of our history — is designed to prevent voting, or registering to vote, by American citizens based on their race, religion or political affiliation.
Over time, these efforts included the imposition of poll taxes and of literacy tests, the closure of polling places, restrictions on early voting and attempts to prevent mail-in voting, and threats and actual acts of violence, including murder. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, aka the SAVE Act, introduced by Representative Chip Roy, presents a new threat. In 2024, it passed in the House but didn’t get a Senate vote.
Senator Mike Lee and Representative Roy re-introduced the bill as S.128/H.R.
22 in January 2025. It’s been presented as necessary to safeguard elections but it addresses a problem that doesn’t exist. The SAVE Act requires citizens to provide “documentary proof” of their U.
S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. If passed, this means that someone already registered to vote who moves, in state or out, would have to re-register to reflect their new address and would have to do so in person.
Online or mail registration isn’t allowed. The National Voter Registration Act (1993) and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act (1996), together with Colorado state laws and procedures, already ensure election integrity. In Colorado , most people vote by mail and are required to present an ID if voting in person; a photo isn’t required .
(Mail-in ballots must be received by citizens’ County Clerks by 7:00 p.m., Election Day.
) The Colorado DMV shares daily updates with the Colorado election office, enabling them to continuously evaluate the eligibility of prospective voters . Colorado has other established processes to prevent voter fraud — such as signature verification, ballot tracking and a curing process. In a May 2022 White Paper, the Colorado Women’s League of Voters found that “Colorado’s voting system is considered an election gold standard.
” People sacrificed their lives for the right to vote. With the introduction of the SAVE Act, we’re witnessing attempts to again erode voting rights . This time, married women, minorities and working-class citizens are among those most at risk.
For example, upon marrying , about 80% of women change their surnames, and an estimated 33% of all married women lack the documentation necessary to meet the SAVE Act’s requirements. Since married women make up more than a quarter of the electorate, the impact on election outcomes could be significant. Also at risk are transgender individuals whose legal names don’t match their birth certificates, and rural Americans in remote areas who would have to drive for hours and many miles to register in person.
Some, in places like Alaska and Hawaii, would be compelled to fly to register. Individuals who’ve lost documents in a natural disaster are at risk as well . “In each federal election cycle, approximately 80 million Americans register to vote for the first time or update their voter registration information,” according to the Center for American Progress .
If the SAVE Act were law today, it could result in disenfranchising more than 21 million voters . The Brennan Center described it as “ a federal government power grab, all to restrict the vote .” Interestingly, President Trump issued an Executive Order on March 25 that goes beyond SAVE’s impediments.
His Executive Order is likely unconstitutional and will get challenged in the courts . But this doesn’t prevent the SAVE Act from progressing in Congress. The SAVE Act is expected to come up for a vote in the House soon.
Please contact your legislators now imploring them to vote “No.” We mustn’t sacrifice our 60 years of progress on civil rights, human rights ! Denise Fazio is a Longmont resident who spent most of her career working in the HR arena. Now retired, she continues to be involved with various organizations and causes, dedicating a good deal of her time to writing projects and virtual volunteering.
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