Reps. Nadler, Goldman Join Voting Rights Groups To Stop The SAVE Act

NEW YORK, NY (04/17/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, the Let NY Vote coalition and Common Cause New York rallied with Congress Members Jerrold Nadler and Dan Goldman to urge the Senate to reject the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, dangerous legislation that would require all voters to prove their citizenship when registering to vote. The SAVE Act would disenfranchise millions of Americans who do not have a U.S. passport, birth certificate or other approved documentation - and reverse major election reforms here in New York State. The Republican-controlled House passed the bill last week. Now, the Senate must stand with voters and reject this blatant voter suppression bill.

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"Congress should be working to make voting easier, not harder. In New York, the Let NY Vote Coalition has worked closely with the Governor and the Legislature to improve access to the ballot for New York voters. The so-called SAVE Act would reverse the progress New York has made modernizing its elections and making its election administration more voter-centered, potentially preventing countless eligible New York voters across the state from making their voices heard. This destructive bill claims to address a non-existent problem. We urge the Senate to reject this shameless voter suppression bill, and to oppose any future version that makes registering to vote needlessly difficult for everyday people," said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York.

"The SAVE Act is not about secure elections. It's about voter suppression-plain and simple," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler. "Every credible study has shown that noncitizen voting in federal elections is practically non-existent. Supporters of the SAVE Act have invented a baseless crisis of noncitizen voting to scare people into supporting their voter suppression schemes. But, in fact, it is the SAVE Act, and measures like it, that present the real threat to fair elections. I was proud to vote against this dangerous legislation in the House, and I call on the Senate to protect the voting rights of all Americans by voting it down."

Last month, Common Cause New York sent a letter with the National Council of Jewish Women and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs urging Congressman Mike Lawler to reject the Trump administration's assault on voting rights and vote against the House bill. The letter highlighted how the SAVE Act would "make it needlessly difficult for married women... many of whom are Jewish, as well as naturalized citizens and many of our members who have changed their name – to vote."

The SAVE Act also threatens major electoral reforms that the Let NY Vote coalition has worked to pass in recent years in New York, including early voting, same-day voter registration, and automatic voter registration. Last week, the SAVE Act narrowly passed in the House - but the Senate can still stop this bill from becoming law. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised that the SAVE Act will not pass the Senate in its current form, and now good government and voting rights groups are urging him and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to continue to oppose any iteration of this reckless legislation.

"This past month, 220 members of Congress voted to silence a generation," said Brianna Cea, Executive Director and Founder of Generation Vote. "The so-called SAVE Act targets students, trans youth and working-class voters, and threatens to upend how young people participate in our democracy. By requiring eligible young voters to show proof-of-citizenship documents in person, it would block millions of young people from registering to vote-especially those who rely on online, mail, and campus voter registration drives. GenVoters across the country have been organizing to stop this dangerous anti-voter bill, and we demand the Senate stop it in its tracks."

"We know that the SAVE Act would prevent millions of eligible citizens from accessing the ballot box. This isn't hypothetical or hyperbole. When Kasas enacted a similar bill a decade ago, over 31,000 American citizens were blocked from voting. And despite that, not one Republican in the House of Representatives had the courage to vote no and protect our freedom to vote. Shame on them. In the United States of America, voters should pick their leaders. Politicians should not get to pick their voters," said Sean Eldridge, Founder and President of Stand Up America.

"The SAVE Act is a federal voter suppression bill plain and simple. Republican leaders in Congress are trying to undermine tens of millions of Americans' freedom to vote because they know the vast majority of voters are not behind their regressive agenda. We'll not rest until this bill is defeated in the Senate," said Ann Toback, CEO of Workers Circle.

"There literally is no proof that there is widespread noncitizen voting happening in this country, but there is proof that many Americans do not have the documents to confirm their citizenship, so the SAVE Act is a solution without solving a problem," said Jan Combopiano, Executive Committee member of Brooklyn Voters Alliance. "This is election integrity theater, rather than the safeguarding of the right to vote."

"The SAVE Act is driven by misinformation and fear rather than facts. There is no credible evidence of widespread non-citizen voter registration or voting in state or federal elections. The League of Women Voters of New York State firmly opposes this bill as it advances to the Senate. We applaud Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand for rejecting this harmful legislation and urge them to reject any future iterations that would allow for the requirement of a passport or birth certificate to vote," said Erica Smitka, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of New York State.

"Our democracy cannot work when only a small portion of the population is making decisions that impact the whole. The SAVE Act is a dangerous bill that would disenfranchise New Yorkers, disproportionately impacting BIPOC, transgender, working class, and rural voters – communities who already face systemic barriers to participating in our elections. It is critical that New York stand strong against this anti-voter bill and ensure that the voices and votes of all voters are heard in our elections," said Karla Bradley, Executive Director, New York Civic Engagement Table.

"The SAVE Act is a direct attack on our democracy and on our fundamental right to vote-especially for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and other communities of color. It imposes costly and unnecessary documentation requirements, like passports or birth certificates. This bill would disenfranchise married women, trans people, active-duty service members, and millions of eligible voters whose lives don't fit neatly into bureaucratic boxes. Instead of protecting our elections, the SAVE Act silences voices. This bill is voter suppression wrapped in red tape. Our communities deserve access, not exclusion," said John Park, Executive Director, MinKwon Center for Community Action (Convenor of APA VOICE).

"The SAVE act would undermine America's modern voter registration system, raising unnecessary barriers to online registration and registration-by-mail that are likely to prevent large swaths of eligible citizens from participating in future elections. At the same time, this unjustifiable solution-in-search-of-a-problem would curb most local voter registration drives. The Senate and the American people must reject this assault on democracy," said Jarret Berg, Co-Founder of Vote Early New York.

"Community based organizations like ours often conduct voter registration drives in the community. We bring registration to the people where they are. We reach young people who have just turned eighteen or newly minted citizens. Our community members work and/or go to school. They would not be able to go to a board of elections office during when they are working or going to school. The requirements as outlined in the SAVE Act would restrict our community's access to voter registration, making us unable to vote and have a say in who represents us," said Mae Lee, Executive Director of the Chinese Progressive Association.

"The SAVE Act is a solution in search of a problem being pushed by MAGA extremists in Congress. It's not about protecting our democracy-it's about undermining it. This bill would strip away the rights of eligible voters, especially women, people with disabilities, and communities that have long been marginalized, all while addressing a problem that doesn't exist. There's no real evidence of non-citizen voting. What this bill really does is create unnecessary barriers to silence voices. We should be making it easier-not harder-for people to participate in our democracy. We must reject it," said Karen Wharton, Democracy Coalition Coordinator, Citizen Action of NY.