Protect voting rights; reject SAVE Act

I was heartened to read about the League of Women Voters of Wheaton sponsoring the “Declaration 1776” exhibit at the DuPage County Historical Museum and libraries across our county. The Declaration’s assertion that “all men are created equal” is a core tenet of our nation and the work of making good on that promise has continued, generation after generation, ever since its founding.

As we prepare to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, that work is far from finished. The right to vote, the most basic tool of our democracy, is under threat right now in Washington.

The SAVE Act passed the House on Feb. 11 and now awaits a Senate vote. Noncitizens are already prohibited from voting under federal law; this legislation solves no real problem while creating enormous new ones. Voting rights experts and nonpartisan researchers estimate that the bill’s roof-of-citizenship and photo ID requirements could block more than 21 million eligible American citizens from registering to vote.

Roughly half of all Americans don’t have a passport. Millions of married women and others who have changed their names may find that their birth certificates no longer match their legal identification.

Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth have the opportunity and the responsibility to stand with the voters of this state by opposing the SAVE Act. I urge them to do so.

I also urge every Illinois resident who believes in the democratic principles celebrated by the “Declaration 1776” exhibit to contact Senators Durbin and Duckworth and make their voices heard.

The exhibit asks us to recommit to informed civic participation. There is no better moment than right now.

Abby Watt

Westmont