Washington D.C. — Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Elections for the Committee on House Administration, voted against the so-called "SAVE America Act." The voter suppression bill would block millions of eligible Americans from casting their ballots by imposing costly and burdensome barriers to voter registration. Republicans' push to restrict voting access comes days after President Trump threatened a federal "takeover" of U.S. elections.

Watch on YouTube here.

"President Trump pledged to take over our elections, and this week, House Republicans are helping him do it," said Rep. Sewell. "The so-called 'SAVE America Act' would block millions of eligible American citizens from voting, force states to turn over sensitive voter data to Kristi Noem's DHS, and even threaten local election workers with jail time."

"Republicans know that their policies are failing," continued Sewell. "Prices are going up, jobs are going away, health care is being slashed, and Americans are struggling to make ends meet. Republicans know that they cannot win on the merits, so rather than changing their policies, they are seeking to change the rules."

"John Lewis was not bludgeoned on a bridge in my hometown for the Republicans and Donald Trump to take these freedoms away from us."

The SAVE America Act would require American citizens to show documents like a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. However, roughly half of Americans do not have valid passports—which currently cost $165 to obtain—and roughly 70 million married women have last names that do not match their birth certificate.

The bill also requires states to turn over sensitive voter data to Secretary Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security. To date, dozens of states have refused to do so over concerns of election interference. In January, the Trump Administration admitted that DOGE officials within the Social Security Administration agreed to turn over sensitive personal data to an advocacy group seeking to “find evidence of voter fraud and to overturn election results in certain States.”

Rep. Sewell has led the fight against the SAVE America Act as the top Democrat on the Elections Subcommittee. On Tuesday night, during debate in the House Rules Committee, Rep. Sewell proposed three amendments which were unanimously rejected by committee Republicans. Watch her testimony here.

Her amendments would have:

1. Expanded the forms of documentation that a person can use to verify their identity to include a valid lease or mortgage document, a bank statement, a utility bill, a health insurance card, and a identification card issued by the Supplemental Nutrition program;
2. Ensured that no voter is removed from the rolls without proper evidence. The amendment also ensures that voters are notified no later than 48 hours from the time of their removal, and they are given an opportunity to contest their removal from the voter rolls; and
3. Protected local election administrators' ability to sue for being removed for partisan or political reasons.

Last year, the Republican effort to pass a previous version of the SAVE America Act failed in the face of nationwide public opposition.

A daughter of Selma, Rep. Sewell is the author and lead sponsor of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore and modernize the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

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