CAPAC Leaders Oppose Republican Bill to Disenfranchise Minority Voters

WASHINGTON, D.C. —  Today, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Grace Meng (NY-06) and CAPAC Civil Rights and Voting Rights Task Force Chair Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued a joint statement following House passage of H.R. 7296, the SAVE America Act:

“Instead of lowering costs for hardworking Americans, House Republicans are wasting time on a bill they have already passed. Their so-called ‘SAVE America Act’ is yet another attempt to disenfranchise minority voters and strip millions of Americans of their right to vote.

“Under this legislation, Americans would be unable to vote using a driver’s license, military ID, or other state-issued ID alone. The bill also effectively eliminates mail and online voter registration, which has been critical for deployed service members overseas, individuals with disabilities, and people with limited English proficiency to participate in our elections. Furthermore, House Republicans are requiring states to submit their voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security, the same department overseeing ICE arrests and killings of citizens across this country.

“The bureaucratic and financial barriers are so extreme that millions of eligible voters could be dissuaded from voting altogether. One-third of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) voters have limited English proficiency. Asian immigrants also represent the largest share of naturalized citizens and may lack access to the documentation required under this burdensome legislation. Because of the provisions in this bill, the collective voice of the AANHPI community in our elections would be silenced.

“This is the goal of the Trump administration and congressional Republicans: to seize control over our elections, force states to hand over voter rolls to the same agency terrorizing our communities, and suppress AANHPI participation in our democracy. We see this power grab for what it is, and we will never back down from protecting Americans’ sacred right to choose our nation’s leaders.”