WHEREAS, The right to vote is a fundamental constitutional right, and election policy should protect both the integrity of elections and equal access for eligible voters; and
WHEREAS, Federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and robust penalties and enforcement mechanisms exist to address unlawful voting; and
WHEREAS, The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, and the legislation now awaits consideration by the U.S. Senate; and
WHEREAS, The SAVE Act would condition voter registration for federal elections on additional documentary proof requirements that can operate as paperwork barriers, delaying or preventing eligible citizens from registering to vote; and
WHEREAS, These burdens would fall particularly hard on women who changed their names due to marriage or divorce, because a birth certificate may not match current identification, require additional certified records and creating risk of denial or delay in registration; and
WHEREAS, Such documentary hurdles would also disproportionately burden eligible voters who face cost, time, mobility, or access barriers to obtaining certified records, including seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income voters; and
WHEREAS, Naturalized citizens who possess the same right to vote as any other citizen may be uniquely burdened if they are required to obtain, replace, or present naturalization documentation that can be difficult, time-consuming, or costly to secure; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia has a strong interest in protecting lawful voter participation and opposing draconian measures that predictably reduce registration and turnout among eligible voters; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby opposes and denounces the SAVE Act, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, as legislation that would create unnecessary barriers to voter registration and risk disenfranchising eligible citizens.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That Council urges the U.S. Senate to reject the SAVE Act and any similar legislation that would predictably exclude eligible voters.
End