Just when you thought it was (still) safe to register to vote… The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is currently collecting public comments as they consider adopting a requirement that voters show a passport or other proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. Comment at Regulations.gov.

Didn’t we just go through this with the awfully named “SAVE” Act kerfuffle? And aren’t we all on the lookout for those petitions trying to mimic that terrible act in Michigan? Ugh.

Joyce Vance blogged about this issue on October 7, noting that the Election Assistance Commission is taking public comments until October 20. A quick review of the comments made to date show a very coordinated effort among anti-voter advocates to flood the site with very similarly worded comments in favor of this proposed requirement.

A few things to remember as you formulate your comment:

• Voting is a right, not a privilege.
• This proposed requirement could block millions of American citizens from voting.
• Half of all Americans do not have a passport, and as many as 69 million women lack access to valid birth certificates.
• If this proposed requirement is passed, every single voter would have to re-register.
• Voter fraud is miniscule in the US, and no election outcome in the US has ever been altered by ballot fraud. And of the voter fraud cases documented, many have nothing to do with citizenship (they include voting as a felon in states with such laws and delivering absentee ballots for non-family members).
• It is already a federal crime for noncitizens to register to vote in federal elections, and it’s a crime under every state’s laws.
• Voter fraud is unacceptable, but we must find solutions that address actual problems instead of imposing policies that make it harder for millions of eligible Americans to participate in our democracy.

Please add your comment to the Election Assistance Commission site, Regulations.gov. Click “comment”. Share why you oppose this proof of citizenship requirement. Choose whether to share your name and information or submit your comment anonymously.

Then please consider bringing this issue to a few of your friends.

Photo by Dithira Hettiarachchi on Unsplash