CT Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas on the SAVE Act and elections
In case you missed it, the Trump Administration issued an Executive Order recently that would change elections as they currently exist in America.
I've been warning against the SAVE Act for months and it is wildly unpopular. Facing an uphill battle, this administration is trying to perform an end run around Congress. This order is blatant federal overreach and unconstitutional. Attorney Generals and Secretaries around the country are planning how to fight back.
In the interim, many provisions in the order would take effect in 30 days! Connecticut already has strong election processes and many provisions of the order are things we already do - paper ballots, no internet connections, we don't allow foreign funding for ballot initiatives. However, the other provisions in the order would be difficult to implement in Connecticut and would be very costly for towns (your tax dollars!).
WHY THIS ORDER HINDERS MORE THAN IT HELPS
Almost 90% of Connecticut voters have a driver's license and that is what most people provide before voting. Also, many CT residents have already converted to Real ID and many more are in the process.
This order would not allow you to use your Real ID to register AND it doesn't even expressly stipulate that you can use a birth certificate! This is because using a birth certificate clashes with the administration's other policy push against birthright citizenship.
Imagine the very real scenarios that happened in New Hampshire last week based on their passage of a similar law. A woman from Florida had been married several times. She uses the name from her first marriage which doesn't match her birth certificate. She was unable to produce her marriage license from those many years ago in Florida. This Executive Order allows no exceptions or remedies in situations where your documents might be destroyed or lost.
Imagine your registrar of voters now being the expert to decide on the validity of these documents. Agents at the DMV are trained in verifying documents. There is no such training in the Executive Order.
Yes, there are problems in Bridgeport, but have you heard about the issues and the arrests? Well, that's the good news. Despite the lag of investigation during the pandemic, the fact that election monitors have been in place, laws have passed, even more are pending, and whistleblowing is up, means that the system is working as intended. Ten years ago, none of this was the case.
The executive order would likely discourage whistleblowers (i.e. witnesses) because it threatens that anyone committing wrongdoing must be reported to the Department of Justice. It does not allow for those who do it by accident.
Imagine several of the cases that led to the arrests. The voter didn't initially think they had done anything wrong or in some instances were afraid of the person in their home. They reported the malfeasance once aware and safe. Imagine how few people will want to come forward if they know they will be reported to a federal agency for possible prosecution.
I could go on and on about all the issues, but hopefully, you are armed with some talking points and can think of additional scenarios from your own lives.