Washington, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) spoke on the House Floor in strong opposition to Republicans’ dangerous voter suppression bill, the so-called SAVE Act, which could disenfranchise millions of eligible American voters. The bill—which is based on the lie of non-citizens voting in federal elections—would create burdensome new barriers to voting for the 69 million married women who have changed their last names, the 146 million Americans without passports, and Americans with military and tribal IDs.

A fact sheet on the SAVE Act from the Committee on House Administration Democratic staff is available here.

Watch it on YouTube here.

Rep. Sewell: Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my CBC colleagues in getting into some Good Trouble as we voice our very strong opposition to the Republicans’ voter suppression bill, the so-called SAVE Act.

As a daughter of Selma and the Representative of Alabama's Civil Rights District, the fight for voting rights is very personal to me. It was in Selma, 60 years ago, where John Lewis and hundreds of Foot Soldiers were bludgeoned on the Edmund Pettus Bridge for the right, the equal right of every American to vote.

The legislation before us makes a mockery of that legacy.

Since his defeat in the 2020 election, President Donald Trump and his Republican allies have pushed the Big Lie of a stolen election. They have tried to convince the American people of the lie that non-citizens are a threat to our elections, and now they're using that lie as an excuse to pass a new law, like the SAVE Act, that would make it harder for millions of Americans to cast their ballots.

Mr. Speaker, the facts are clear. It is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, in any elections. In fact, under current law, non-citizens would face up to five years in prison for attempting to vote in federal elections and even risk being deported.

In reality, this legislation would purge thousands of eligible voters from the rolls. It would create significant barriers for the 69 million women who currently got married and changed their last names, so their birth certificates do not match their marriage certificates, and thus it would be harder for these women, almost 70 million women, to vote, and the 140 million Americans that do not have a passport, and those with military IDs and tribal IDs, none of which would be able to prove their birth citizenship. These are not included in the bill as proper forms of ID that will allow someone to show their citizenship.

Americans should see this bill for what it is—a cynical attempt to flame the fire of false voter fraud by the same extremists who brought us the January 6th insurrection. Their objective of suppressing the vote was made even more clear last week, Mr. Speaker, when President Trump signed an executive order to erode voting rights and gave Elon Musk an unelected, unconfirmed, person the right to access Americans’ personal voter information. 

Now, we as elected officials in this House should be fighting to protect and expand access to the ballot box, not restrict it. As old battles have become new again, we in the Congressional Black Caucus have remained committed, committed to ensuring and defending the sacred right to vote. This right to vote was won with blood, sweat, tears, and even deaths.

We in the Congressional Black Caucus see voting rights as our North Star. So, Mr. Speaker, we will not stop fighting as long as President Trump and Elon Musk and House Republicans are trying to take away our sacred right to vote. 

I urge all my colleagues to not only vote NO on the SAVE Act, but to do so with vigor and with purpose. It was John Lewis who said that ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, one year. Ours is a struggle of a lifetime, and as long as the Congressional Black Caucus 63 members strong in this Congress, we will stand up and protect the rights of every American to vote and we will stop efforts like the SAVE act. The SAVE act is not there to save election integrity. The SAVE act is all about saving Republican seats and Republican elected officials. 

We will be voting NO on that bill when it comes to the Floor, and we urge our other colleagues to do the same. And I want to commend the Gentlewoman from Virginia for leading this special order. 

We in the Congressional Black Caucus, we stand on the shoulders of giants. It's now time for us to get off their shoulders and to do our own work, and our own work we will do in defeating the SAVE Act and for standing up for the legacy of John Lewis and those Foot Soldiers who marched on a bridge in my hometown for the equal right of every American to vote.

As long as we have a voice. The CBC will be standing up for voting rights, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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