House Republican leaders have pushed forward legislation that would add strict new requirements to voter registration and casting a ballot.
The SAVE America Act would require voters to show proof of citizenship, by using documents like a U.S. passport or birth certificate when registering to vote.
It would also require voters show a valid photo I.D. before casting a ballot.
Republicans and the White House have argued the legislation is necessary to prevent fraud — and that the U.S. is behind other countries when it comes to election security.
“The issue has so much support because it is just common sense,” said House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson.
Democrats and other critics have argued that the logistics of these new requirements will disenfranchise potentially millions of voters who lack the documentation they need or the means to get it.
“How and when will you do this?” said Barbara Tengtio, the President of the League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County. “If you are working, need to take time off, need to get child care, possibly find transportation, and if you have changed your last name after birth, you will have to have additional documentation.”
Democrats said in some cases, the county election office voters would have to visit could be more than an hour away.
On Thursday, Washington Democrats and election officials spoke out against the proposals, arguing the current system protects against fraud and prevents noncitizens from voting.
“When you know you could go to jail for five years and [face] a $10,000 fine, most people are not going to sign something fraudulently knowing that they are not a citizen,” said U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
Experts have said fraud is rare.
Washington Republicans have argued that current systems don’t go far enough.
“If we’re not doing a good job of keeping our voter databases updated and current and accurate, we are diluting the power of each legitimate vote, and that’s unconstitutional,” said Rep. Jim Walsh, the Chairman of the Washington GOP.
Walsh, citing data from the Secretary of State’s Office, said there have been instances of improperly registered voters in Washington.
KIRO 7 has reached out to confirm that and is waiting for a response.
“One improperly registered voter dilutes the voice of legal voters, and that’s a concern,” Walsh said.
On Thursday, Washington Democrats and election leaders responded to concerns of fraud by reiterating the state already has systems in place to catch and punish people committing fraud.
The state relies on signature verification, comparing voter registration files to the signature on your ballot.
The state also audits voting systems before elections, and randomly audits ballots after an election.
The state’s voter registration is “constantly maintained and updated as voters become registered, move, change their name, die or are no longer eligible to vote,” according to the Secretary of State’s website.
Another topic on Thursday included changes to the way mail is handled at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) that critics have argued will impact and threaten mailed ballots.
USPS says it implemented changes to transportation operations that will result in some mailpieces not arriving at processing facilities on the same day that they are mailed.
Many states use postmark dates to determine whether a mailed ballot was mailed on time.
Critics have argued it puts ballots at risk if they are mailed on Election Day.
The Postal Service has said customers who wish to obtain a postmark aligning with the date of mailing may request a manual (local) postmark at a retail location.
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