As Trump Tries to Take Over U.S. Elections, Reed Delivers Speech Opposing Anti-Voter SAVE Act

Video Description

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) says that when American citizens register to vote, they should be thinking about the issues that matter to them and who they want to cast a ballot for, not on jumping through bureaucratic hoops, locating old documents, and being burdened by financial and logistical barriers that make it harder for eligible voters to register and then to exercise their fundamental right to vote. Reed says the anti-voter SAVE Act isn’t designed to protect voting rights, but to undermine them. Passing it would erode election integrity; suppress votes; place heavy new burdens and costs on states and voters; and hand President Trump unprecedented election powers over all fifty states. President Trump has said he wants the federal government to “take over” elections and “nationalize the voting”. The SAVE Act is the vehicle for him to do that and President Trump has repeatedly claimed that passing the bill would “guarantee” a Republican victory in the midterms. Senator Reed points out that the bill offers no additional federal support or funding for the new proof of citizenship requirements it would impose on states to run the elections, nor does it include a phase-in period. In fact, the law would take effect immediately and instantly throw the electoral process into chaos as voters and states would be forced to scramble to meet the law’s proof of citizenship mandates.