Maria Cantwell convenes virtual press conference to defend voter access in the face of the SAVE act
3-18-26 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) convened a group of current and former elected officials and representatives of nonpartisan voter advocacy groups for a virtual press conference on defending voter access in the face of the “SAVE America Act,” a GOP-led voter suppression bill that could block an estimated 21 million legal American voters from casting ballots and sow chaos in the 2026 elections.
“The hallmark of a democracy is free and fair elections. And when you start to undermine that, and you start to question whether you have free and fair elections, you are truly undermining our power as a democracy,” said Sen. Cantwell. “Why would you disenfranchise 20 million people when you have a system that is working successfully [and] has strong deterrence?”
The SAVE America Act was narrowly passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 11. If it were to pass the Senate it would impose new barriers to voting:
A requirement that all mail-in ballots include a printed copy of the voter's picture ID.
A requirement that anyone registering to vote, or changing their registration details, present a birth certificate, passport, or other proof of citizenship documents in person to their county elections office. A driver’s license, even a standard REAL ID one, is not proof of citizenship.
Last month, Sen. Cantwell released a snapshot report detailing the burdens the SAVE America Act would impose on Washington voters – that report can be read in full HERE.
And this week, Sen. Cantwell released a snapshot report with new data breaking down just how much the SAVE America Act – a voter suppression bill that the GOP Senate majority intends to take up this coming week – would require from Washington state taxpayers.
Despite President Donald Trump’s consistent claims to the contrary, voter fraud is so vanishingly rare in the United States as to be statistically nonexistent.