Congresswoman Bynum Rejects Bill to Disenfranchise Voters

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) released the following statement after voting against H.R. 22, the SAVE Act, which would make it harder for millions of Americans to vote. Rep. Bynum offered an amendment to the SAVE Act to address the additional barriers to voting created by the bill, but it was rejected by Republicans.

“All eligible voters should have their voices heard, plain and simple. Unfortunately, this bill takes the wrong approach and creates more barriers to voting by requiring additional documentation, like a passport. It takes time and money to get the required documents – to me, that sounds like a poll tax.

“I proposed an amendment to reduce the burden on voters and make it faster to get the required documentation, but Republicans wouldn’t even consider it. I cannot support a bill that disenfranchises voters, so I voted no.”

Background
The SAVE Act would:

• Make it harder for tens of millions of citizens to vote, including women who have changed their last names;
  • The bill requires voters to provide “documentary proof of citizenship” to register to vote, such as a U.S. Passport or a combination of multiple forms of documentation, which can be difficult, expensive and time consuming to get. 
  • For most Americans, a driver’s license, state provided ID, tribal ID or military ID would be insufficient, and individuals who have changed their names, including roughly 70 million women through marriage, would not be able to use birth certificates to prove their citizenship.

Rep. Bynum’s amendment would have required the Secretary of State to prioritize passport requests that were submitted to get the documentation required under voter registration laws. The amendment would have required the passports to be issued in less than 15 days after the application was submitted. This would have helped alleviate the burden placed on voters by the SAVE Act, but it was rejected by Republicans.

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