Protesters across Michigan rally against SAVE Act

Demonstrators rallied outside the offices of Michigan congressmen to protest the SAVE Act bill.

The House of Representatives passed the SAVE Act earlier this week. This bill would require those seeking voting registration to prove they are U.S. citizens by showing a passport or birth certificate.

“This is an issue people care about, and we are not okay with politicians trying to take away our political power,” said Melinda Billingsley with the group “Voters Not Politicians”. This group helped organize the “Stop The SAVE Act” rallies across Michigan.

Supporters of the bill say it’s meant to keep U.S. elections safe and secure from voter fraud, but Billingsley says it could impact actual citizens instead.

“Voters who don’t have access to their birth certificate because of family issues or reasons of natural disasters. All these things make it harder for them to able to register to vote,” said Billingsley.

She says she’s not happy that congressman Tom Barrett and other state representatives voted in favor of the bill.

“They voted in favor of making it harder for Michigan citizens, eligible Michigan citizens, to access their constitutional right to vote,” said Billingsley.

Demonstrations were also held outside the office of Congressman Tim Walberg in Jackson.

Protestor Sue Kinnamon says U.S. elections are already secure, “We don’t want non-citizens voting, but I don’t think that people understand that non-citizens don’t vote. Politicians are really coming up with some solutions to a problem that doesn’t exist.”

The Michigan Secretary of State reports that 15 non-citizens cast a ballot in the 2024 general election.

This bill could also cause trouble for people who have changed their name due to their birth certificate no longer reflecting their current identity.

Protestor Ciera Smith says LGBTQ voters would be impacted as well, “I have a lot of friends who are also in the trans community, and they’ve either changed their first name or their last name, and it is not legally the same anymore as their birth certificate. They would also not be able to vote.”

The bill will now head to the Senate. While the GOP holds control in the upper house of the Congress, political experts say the bill’s future is uncertain.

This story was originally published by WLNS. Read more here: https://www.wlns.com/news/protesters-across-michigan-rally-against-save-act/