Congresswoman Gluesenkamp-Perez Supports SAVE Act—KLOG 100.7 News

(Washington DC) – 3^rd District Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez surprised some Democratic colleagues by voting for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, that passed on a 220-208 vote.

Gluesenkamp-Perez was one of just four democrats to support the legislation.  The bill, if passed, would require all voters to appear in person and provide a valid passport, birth certificate, or another form of identification in order to prevent noncitizens from voting. Those who vote illegally without identification would face stiff penalties, such as deportation.

Gluesenkamp Perez shared a statement shortly after making her vote that said, “I do not support noncitizens voting in American elections – and that’s common sense to folks in Southwest Washington. Voting in our nation’s elections is a sacred right belonging only to American citizens, and my vote for the SAVE Act reflects that principle.”

However, she also said the bill is unlikely to become a law due to “the filibuster, as well as several deeply flawed provisions.”

“Democracy depends on confidence in our elections, so I encourage House Leadership to instead consider bipartisan legislation that can pass both chambers of Congress – such as my Let America Vote Act, which reaffirms that decisions made for our country are made by citizens of our country, without placing bureaucratic hassles on U.S. citizens or hardworking election workers,” she added.

The SAVE Act is backed by President Donald Trump, who also issued an executive order requiring all ballots in federal elections to be counted by Election Day.

Gluesenkamp Perez said the order conflicts with Washington’s vote-by-mail system and “could undermine the votes of more than 250,000 Washington citizens whose ballots were legally counted after Election Day in the last election.”

It is not fully clear how states that use mail-in voting, such as Washington and Oregon, would be impacted by the SAVE Act, though the Oregon Secretary of State’s office said the bill could have various impacts on voter access as well as ballot counting methods.