John,

In an unprecedented move, Donald Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) on Tuesday that was a direct attack on the voting rights of every single American. The EO directs the Election Assistance Commission to change voter registration forms to require government-issued proof of citizenship—but according to the EO, birth certificates are not listed as a form of documentation for providing evidence of U.S. citizenship—a direct attack on first generation Americans.

Voters would likely need to acquire a passport in order to register to vote or change their voter registration.¹ Other forms of ID listed in the EO, such as REAL ID drivers’ licenses, do not list citizenship in many states. But passports or passport cards cost $30 - $130 for first-time applicants, and 146 million Americans do not have one. This financial requirement—a new version of a poll tax—will keep millions of people from voting, of course disproportionately those with lower incomes. The EO also calls for stripping federal funding from states which did not update their voter registration policies.² According to Wendy Weiser, vice president for democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice:

“This executive order is unlawful. The president does not have the authority to require this. The president cannot override a statute passed by Congress that says what is required to register to vote on the federal voter registration form.”

But right-wing members of Congress are already looking for ways to upend our voter registration requirements—and they look a lot like Trump’s EO.

The House is expected to vote next week on the SAVE Act—a cynical and unnecessary attempt to require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections, which looks a lot like Trump’s Executive Order.

The SAVE Act would require all Americans to prove their citizenship status by going in person and presenting documentation―such as passports or birth certificates―when they register to vote or update their voter registration. This would devastate voter registration drives and cause chaos for the 8 in 10 married women who changed their surname and don’t have a birth certificate that matches their current name. And we know that people with low incomes, often people of color or rural residents, will be disenfranchised by these restrictions: they won’t be able to afford passports, or replacement birth certificates, or have transportation or freedom to leave work to get to the registration sites.

The most surefire way to defeat these attacks is to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act which would restore protections in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were gutted in the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder (2013).

Congress must act NOW. Send a direct message to Congress and tell them to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to defend and strengthen our constitutional right to vote.

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is a monumental piece of legislation that would transform voting in the United States by making it easier for eligible voters to access the ballot box. It was re-introduced in the House this month by Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) who made a statement:³

“Since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we have seen state officials advance hundreds of new measures to make it harder for Americans to vote. As we prepare to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in my hometown of Selma, Alabama, it is clear; the fight for voting rights is just as urgent today as it was decades ago. I’m proud to be reintroducing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act with the support of every House Democrat. Our bill would give us the tools necessary to address modern-day voter suppression and ensure every American has equal access to the ballot box.”

Under this legislation, jurisdictions with histories of voting discrimination would need to receive preclearance from the Department of Justice or a federal court before changing any voting laws, and voters would be allowed to sue over gerrymandered maps that dilute the political power of communities of color.⁴

We recently commemorated the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday—where hundreds of peaceful voting rights activists attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, but were brutally assaulted. One of those crossing the bridge was former Congressman John Lewis.

That bridge crossing was the impetus for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the reason why we have a multiracial democracy with so many women and people of color in elected positions today.

We cannot allow that history to be undone by an authoritarian who is willing to cheat, dictate, and suppress to tighten his grip on power.

Send a message to Congress urging them to expand access to the ballot box and pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act now.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ Trump’s Executive Order on Elections Aims to Dictate How States Run Elections and Handpicks Which Citizens Can Vote
² Trump orders states to require proof of citizenship in federal elections
³ Rep. Sewell Introduces the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Ahead of the 60th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday
⁴ FACT SHEET: The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act