When politicians defend the SAVE Act, they often lean on a poll-tested question: "Should only US citizens vote in federal elections?" Most Americans say yes. But that's the wrong question. The right question is: "Do you believe non-citizens are actually voting in federal elections?" If the answer is yes, the politician is either accepting rigged-election propaganda as truth or using it as cover for their real goal — to make voting harder.
Evidence from across the political spectrum shows non-citizen voting is virtually nonexistent. The Brennan Center calls the myth of rampant noncitizen voting "just a lie" used to drive voter suppression. The conservative Heritage Foundation, after investigating decades of voter fraud claims, puts the incidence of non-citizen voting below 0.0001%.
Despite the facts, two congressional bills — the SAVE Act (HR 22) and the Save America Act (HR 7296) — would impose restrictive document requirements to prove citizenship, burdens that fall hardest on married women, the working poor, and certain immigrants. Both are built on the same fabrication: that millions of non-citizens are voting.
Neither bill is likely to pass the Senate. Facing this prospect, Trump has signed an Executive Order attempting to impose federal control over mail-in ballot eligibility — and, whether it survives legal challenge or not, it keeps doubts about election integrity alive in the media.
Meanwhile, Washington's own GOP Rep. Jim Walsh is sponsoring IP 26-500, which — if enough signatures are collected by July 2, 2026 — goes directly to the November ballot. If passed, it would require Washington voters without a Real ID (an estimated 70%) to gather approved documents and schedule a visit to the county auditor's office to prove citizenship.
Washington already has a safe, secure mail-in voting system. Registrants must attest to citizenship under penalty of perjury — a Class C felony carrying up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine (RCW 29A.84.130).
The state also conducts cross-checks and verifies voter data rigorously.
Next time someone tries to justify the SAVE Act as the will of the people, ask the right question. You can make a small but meaningful difference in the movement to save the very cornerstone of our democracy – free and fair Elections.
Gary Obermeyer
Battle Ground
•••
Letters To The Editor
Email: letters@thereflector.com
Mail: The Reflector, Attention: Letters to the Editor,
209 E Main St., Suite 121, Battle Ground, WA 98604
