Rep. Cleaver Votes Against GOP’s SAVE Act That Would Disenfranchise Voters
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the following statement ahead of vote on House Republican’s SAVE Act, troubling legislation that would impose harsh voter identification requirements, disenfranchising eligible voters.
“I am compelled to express my strong opposition to the proposed SAVE Act, which seeks to impose stringent voter identification requirements under the guise of election security. This legislation is yet another example of Republican efforts to disenfranchise eligible voters, specifically women, military members, and minorities.
“We have already fought these battles. As a nation, we stood up to the poll tax, literacy tests, and other discriminatory practices that sought to silence certain voices at the ballot box. The SAVE Act is a modern echo of those old tactics – dressed in new language, but rooted in the same intent: to make it harder for some Americans to vote. The claim that this legislation is necessary to combat noncitizen voting is not backed by any significant evidence. In fact, studies have shown that voter fraud, especially by noncitizens, is exceedingly rare. What is far more common – and far more dangerous – is the erosion of voting rights through laws like this one that chip away at access under the pretense of security.
“We should be making it easier, not harder, for Americans to vote. Our democracy is strongest when every eligible citizen has a fair and equal opportunity to make their voice heard. I stand in firm opposition to the SAVE Act and any similar legislation that seeks to impose unnecessary barriers to voting.”
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Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.