Saving the Right to Vote

The United Church of Christ’s Our Faith, Our Vote Campaign continues for the 2026 elections. This campaign is a part of the denomination’s commitment to equip individuals “with the tools for nonpartisan engagement” in the US democratic process. The campaign has three components: voter registration, issue education, and voter empowerment. The campaign encourages voter participation as an act of love and commitment to justice. Voter registration is an integral part of this UCC campaign which joins with the efforts of many others to ensure that those who are eligible to vote are registered to vote and understand how to exercise their right to vote.

The right to vote in the United States continues to be contested and contentious. The original United States Constitution does not have provisions for the right to vote. Who can and cannot vote is a historic problem that dates back centuries to the rights of indigenous people, Africans, and African descendant people living in the United States. With no provisions in the Constitution, states were given the power to decide who qualified to vote. The right to vote was then further addressed with a series of Amendments to the Constitution over the years, including the Fourteenth Amendment which established citizenship and the Fifteenth Amendment which states: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude–.

Per the constitution, regarding the Fifteenth Amendment: The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. The role of the Congress is to enforce the right of every citizen to vote.

That same Congress is currently considering S:1383 “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” or the “SAVE America Act”, which is also known as the SAVE Act. S:1383 was first introduced in 2024, then was reintroduced in 2025. At this time, it has stalled in the Senate for the second time. The bill is focused on restricting voter rights by disenfranchising millions who have the right to vote. The bill requires that voters prove their citizenship with a passport or birth certificate. The 2025 rebranding is a more extreme form of the 2024 SAVE Act (H.R.22).

Protecting the right to vote is the work of the US Congress and the will of “we the people.” The first introduction of the bill stalled because there was public outcry against the provisions of the bill. While the argument for the bill is couched in arguments about illegal immigration, the SAVE Act would affect 21 million US citizens who do not have a passport, birth certificate or other documentation.

The bill comes with further restrictions. In addition, the SAVE America Act would limit third party voter registration, hindering the work of organizations committed to nonpartisan voter registration. “This would render the online voter registration systems currently running in 42 states useless, forcing election officials to revert to more far more costly and labor-intensive in-person registration.”

There is more. Those with higher incomes are more likely to have a passport. The requirements would deny access to millions of lower income Americans.

Those with birth certificates could face the dilemma of names that do not match their birth certificate. That would include married persons who changed their names or others who legally changed their names including transgender persons. These are groups already marginalized and underrepresented in society. The bill is problematic, unnecessarily unnecessary, and attempts to address allegations of election fraud that have not been proven.

Saving the right to vote for all eligible US citizens means ensuring that the SAVE America Act remains stalled or is voted down in the Senate. The provisions of the bill usurp the right to vote that is given to American citizens. The commitment to voter registration, issue education and voter empowerment is threaten by the SAVE Act. If these commitments are to continue, then the commitment to voting as a part of our faith must include bringing voice to the problematic intent and misinformation campaign aligned with the bill.

Our Faith, Our Vote is a UCC commitment for the faith community to be present in advocating for voter rights and bringing to the fore education and truth about voting rights and the on-going attempts to restrict the rights of millions of voters. Now is the time to lend voices and action against the passage of the SAVE America Act to save the voting rights of all Americans.

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