Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03) and Vice Chairs Hillary Scholten (MI-03) and Emilia Sykes (OH-13) released the below statement condemning House Republicans’ passage of their so-called SAVE Act. 

“Trump and Republicans’ SAVE Act is a direct attack on women’s ability to register to vote. Republicans’ requirement to register using a birth certificate or a passport that matches a voter’s current name would make voting harder and more expensive for millions of women. It will be devastating for as many as 69 million women voters who changed their name after marriage because their birth certificate would not match their current legal name. Passports cost more than $130, and the nearest office to get one is often hours away. This is too expensive and out of reach for millions of working women and moms. If women can’t register, we can’t vote. 105 years after finally gaining the right to vote, we cannot afford to lose our voice.

“We’ve raised the alarm about how this bill harms women voters over and over. We sent a letter to Speaker Johnson demanding he pull this bill from the floor. We put forward amendments to fix this glaring problem so married women would still be able to register to vote as easily as men. We’ve shared our concerns with Republican colleagues just as hundreds of their own constituents have. It is clear Republicans aren’t interested in fixing this bill and this decision will haunt them in the voting booth. This is a dark day for women, but we’ll keep fighting to make sure we are heard.” 

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