“If she is one of the most valuable of the nation’s citizens, she should have a voice in its affairs,” stated Constance Smedley, an unapologetic advocate of a woman’s right to vote before women could legally cast a ballot. This sentiment remains true today. Women’s voices are valuable.
Women obtained the right to vote in America barely over a century ago. The battle for these voting rights, both political and cultural in nature, was won due to the blood, sweat, and tears of many like Smedley. It was the result of a long and strenuous pursuit of full equality in the election of a representative government.
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And yet, these rights are now at risk. Why? Because the federal government is failing to implement the most basic safeguards that would secure American elections. The SAVE America Act has been languishing in the Senate for 58 days. That’s 58 days of failing to protect American voters.
SAVE ACT QUIETLY PUNTED TO SENATE GRAVEYARD AS SOME SUPPORTERS CONCEDE DEFEAT
At night, you lock your door because you want to prevent someone unauthorized from coming in. We need the provisions in the SAVE America Act to lock the door to our elections. Just as your home locks protect belongings and lives, these provisions protect the rights so foundational to our democracy.
Principle #1: Requiring photo ID to vote
Requiring photo ID to vote helps ensure that the person casting a ballot is who they claim to be. It’s not controversial: 83% of Americans support this policy, per a recent CNN poll, spanning all demographics and political parties in majority support. As women, we use photo IDs for commonplace activities anyway. We book hotel rooms, visit the doctor, drive cars, and go out for a glass of wine with friends. If we can provide photo ID without objection to these activities, why would it be at all objectionable when the integrity of ballots is on the line?
The claims that photo ID requirements suppress voter turnout are verifiably false. In 2021, Georgia enacted comprehensive election security legislation, including requiring a photo ID to vote. In 2022, the state experienced record turnout across all demographics. Just this month, the state reported even greater turnout. Photo ID helps voters trust that their ballots aren’t being canceled out by illegitimate votes.
Principle #2: Prohibiting noncitizen voting
If you went to France, Japan, or Australia and tried to cast a ballot in their elections, you would be denied. Similarly, no person who is not a citizen should be afforded voting rights in the United States. And yet, it happens. The fix requires documentary proof of citizenship, whether that’s a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization documents, to name a few options, instead of just trusting everyone to self-affirm citizenship correctly.
Just recently, four noncitizens were charged in New Jersey for voting, not just registering to vote, but actually casting ballots. That’s four New Jersey voters whose voices have been erased. Americans deserve so much better.
Principle #3: Maintaining accurate voter rolls
We live in a very transient society. People often move for work, or to be closer to family, or for a new adventure. The voter rolls, which are lists of people registered to vote, should reflect the accurate location of eligible voters. If I move to Georgia, I shouldn’t be registered to vote in Mississippi. States routinely struggle to remove deceased people, people who have moved, and otherwise ineligible registrants from their rolls. Bloated voter rolls are a serious liability.
When you go to a wedding, you send an RSVP and are entered onto a list. If you attend a wedding without doing this, you’re a wedding crasher. No one should be able to crash the party when it comes to elections. The people who are eligible to vote are the ones who should decide elections.
CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS WILL TRY TO SABOTAGE VOTER ID BALLOT PROPOSITION
These election security principles protect women’s votes, and it’s why the SAVE America Act is necessary. They are the most foundational pillars of a functioning election. When you support these principles and understand the facts behind them, you empower yourself to defend your voting rights.
All of the women who went before us did not labor in vain. It is critical to carry on their legacy through championing the best policies. Protecting and respecting the right to vote is just as important now as it was for Constance Smedley.
Anna Pingel is a visiting fellow at Independent Women’s Voice.
