Read a PDF of our statement here.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, a dangerous attempt to impose onerous and discriminatory obstacles for voters at the risk of disenfranchising millions, has currently failed to move forward in the U.S. Senate. The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and partners will continue to monitor legislative activity should portions of the discriminatory bill be introduced in any altnerate form.
This bill threatened to disproportionately disenfranchise Black voters, other voters of color, married voters who have changed their name, young voters, voters with disabilities, senior citizens, and rural voters. Advocates and legislators worked tenaciously over the past months to educate the public around these dangers of the SAVE America Act.
In response, LDF Director of Policy Demetria McCain released the following statement:
“The SAVE America Act would undermine free and fair access to the ballot by targeting the same voters that suffered discrimination under the hand of Jim Crow.”
“We do not secure our elections by systematically blocking millions from the ballot, eliminating accessible forms of democratic participation, and targeting the elections officials who often put themselves at risk to ensure our elections proceed fairly. We create equitable elections by ensuring that every eligible voter has equal access to the ballot box. The SAVE Act was never about election protection but rather propagating a racially-motivated myth of voter fraud where none exists.
“We thank the Senators who stand firmly opposed to this legislation and keep it from advancing. And we are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the civil rights communities who continue to fight to protect the foundational right to vote.”
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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights legal organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957, though it was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall while he was at the NAACP. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) is a division of LDF that undertakes innovative research and houses LDF’s archive. In all media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF (do not include NAACP) and refer to the Institute as LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute or TMI.
