Protecting Our Right to Vote - San Francisco Bay Times

"As the powers that be see their poll numbers tanking ($6.99 per gallon at the gas pump will do that) and their support slipping even among their usual base, they are fighting even more desperately to cling to power in any way they can. Knowing full well that their policies are extremely unpopular among most Americans, and that they cannot win a free and fair election in most corners of the country, they are simply pulling out all the stops to make sure people cannot vote-or, as they have actually said out loud, that only the "right" people can vote."

"The (current) good news is that the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, which proposed such onerous requirements for registering to vote that it risked disenfranchising as many as 20 million voters, is currently stalled in the U.S. Senate. This bill would disproportionately prevent millions of people who have either changed their name, or who don't have access to required documents-such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, or passports-from voting, even if they have voted for many years."

"It would provide barriers for trans people, women who changed their name when they married, young people, seniors, rural voters, voters with disabilities ... coincidentally, all demographic groups who tend to vote democratic. The current bad news (granted, there are a lot of choices here), is the U.S. Supreme Court decision on April 29 that hollowed out key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, and opens the door for a slew of redistricting efforts that will lead to the disenfranchisement of countless Americans, primarily Black Americans."

Poll declines and weakening support drive efforts to retain power by restricting who can vote. Legal battles over voter eligibility and election rules are accelerating ahead of midterms. The SAVE America Act is stalled in the U.S. Senate, which would have imposed onerous registration requirements and risked disenfranchising up to 20 million voters, including people who changed names or lack specific documents. The proposal would create barriers for trans people, women who changed names after marriage, young people, seniors, rural voters, and voters with disabilities. A Supreme Court decision on April 29 weakened key Voting Rights Act provisions, enabling redistricting efforts that could disenfranchise many Americans, especially Black Americans.

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