Jason,
College students and young people already face unique barriers when it comes to voting. Do they vote at home or where they go to college? Is there a polling location on campus? If not, do they have reliable transportation to get to the polling center? Basically, did they jump through all of the right hoops so that their vote would count?
If our leaders weren't afraid of us, you'd think they would want to make it easier for young people to vote and new voters to get involved in the electoral process. But instead, Republicans want to make voting even harder than it already is.
The GOP-backed SAVE Act has already passed the House and is now in front of the Senate. The bill would nationalize elections, require proof of citizenship to register to vote, eliminate convenient methods of voter registration, and prohibit universal mail-in voting.
Several states are following up with their own versions: Florida, South Dakota, and Utah. Similar laws are on the books in Wyoming, New Hampshire, and Louisiana.
Why is the SAVE Act downright dangerous — particularly for young people?
Documentation requirements hit young voters the hardest. Requiring proof of citizenship and photo ID to vote means young people who may lack (or not have easy access to) these kinds of documents won't be able to cast their ballots. I don't know many kids who brought their birth certificate to college!
Costs and logistics are functionally a poll tax for young voters. Young people are already trying to balance school and work while often living on a limited income. It isn't reasonable to expect them to navigate more bureaucracy, pay for new kinds of identification, and take time off of work or school so they can vote.
Eliminating convenient registration methods primarily impacts new voters. This one is obvious. Whenever politicians make it harder to register to vote, it is a direct attack on young people who are often voting for the first time in their lives.
Here's the bottom line: Republicans are intent on making every step of the voting process more complex and less convenient. And if they pass the SAVE Act, it will make the work we're doing getting young people out to vote that much harder.
But we aren't going to give up the fight no matter what the GOP throws at us. We know there is too much at stake to let them keep young people from voting. We are ready to fight back, but we need your continued support to ensure we have the resources to fulfill our mission in 2026 and beyond.
Jason, will you make a $5 contribution right now to support our work?
Thank you for standing with us.
David Hogg
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