No matter what the legislation is called — the SAVE Act, the SAVE America Act, the MEGA Act, proof of citizenship bills — they all have the same outcome: block people from voting. If any of these bills become law, they will prevent U.S. citizens, who currently vote, from being able to vote in the future. 

As the people’s lobby, Common Cause works to empower real voters across the nation every day. We know what’s at stake because we know your stories. Here are five people who will be denied their right to vote if any of these bills are put into law.  

Charles: a grandson of a sharecropper 

Charles is the grandson of a sharecropper, from a family that marched for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. 

The military forced his father, Charley, to change his first name to Charles. Another government official tried to make Charles change back to Charley to remain a junior. His sister had even more troubles with names.   

Charles shouldn’t be denied the right to vote due to government paperwork problems. But if passed, the SAVE Act or SAVE America Act will deny him his right.  

Letitia: Caregiver, daughter of a veteran 

Letitia’s story is one familiar to many American military families — that “original” birth certificate wasn’t easy to find after being born on base. Years ago, Letitia moved to Kansas to care for an ailing family member. 

But Kansas had passed a proof of citizenship bill that required an original birth certificate to register to vote. Letitia was denied the right to register to vote, and when her mother could not find the original birth certificate in time, Letitia was unable to cast a ballot for the first time since her 18th birthday.  

Thankfully, a court overturned that Kansas law in Fish v. Kobach, and restored her right to vote. But as Letitia hear lawmakers consider the same laws here in Florida, where she now lives, she remembers her experience. 

Our state and nation’s elections have been declared free and fair, yet this makes elections neither free (you have to pay to obtain new documents) nor fair (this will disproportionately impact students, married or divorced women, people with disabilities and seniors). It’s nothing but an attempt to hold onto political power and block people from voting. 

Betty: my last name doesn’t match my birth certificate  

Because Betty took her spouse’s surname, her current legal name no longer matches her birth certificate — a discrepancy that could block her from registering to vote or casting a ballot.  

These potential laws would also require her to show up in person at the county clerk’s office, despite the fact that she can’t drive and relies on medical transportation services that won’t take her to government buildings for non-medical reasons. 

Nancy: 15 years in service to the GOP, should expired document make her lose the right to vote? 

Nancy from Georgia has been voting for nearly 70 years. At 89, she has an expired passport and driver’s license. Like many women, she registered to vote and voted using her married name for decades. 

But her birth certificate doesn’t have her current last name. Having voted in every election since she turned 21, Nancy lives in a different state than where she was born, and where she got married. 

Nancy was a teacher, a small business owner, and served on county Republican Party committees for years. At her age, with expired documents that would need to be fetched from another state, Nancy is wondering why she would be disenfranchised from voting. 

Pamela: Will losing my home to wildfire make me lose my right to vote?  

Pamela currently lives with her daughter in Virginia. That’s because last year, her home in Minnesota burned down in a wildfire out of her control. Pamela’s rebuilding in Minnesota, but not in time to vote in this year’s elections in her home state. 

If the SAVE Act passes, she likely will be denied the right to vote. Her last name is different from her birth certificate. She lives in a different state due to a disaster. She is left wondering why Republicans want to take her right to vote after she just lost her home.  

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