Polls consistently show that a majority of Americans from both political parties support "voter ID," the requirement of having a government-issued photo identification in order to vote.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, also referred to as the SAVE America Act, aims to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. It has already passed in the U.S. House, but Senate Democrats are refusing to support the bill, reports the National Center for Public Policy and Research (NCPPR).
Priscilla Rahn is an ambassador for NCPPR’s Project 21 Black Leadership Network. She says Democrats keep using the black community.
"They're saying things like black people can't access the ballot, black people can't get an ID, and it's going to be a poll tax for us. They're making all of these excuses and using all of this rhetoric to make it sound like the minority community is incapable or unwilling to produce proof that we are American citizens," Rahn states.
Project 21 published What Election Reform Means for Black America, which notes the importance of election integrity and voter ID.
“We believe that obtaining the right to vote and thus to become full participants in the political process was a historic achievement for black Americans, one that came after many a hard-fought battle,” the publication reads. “We believe voter ID laws are necessary to ensure the integrity of our elections and to ensure black Americans have confidence in them.”
The publication also says they believe that the “self-anointed benefactors” of the black community are manipulating the voting system for their own gain, many of them white people claiming they’re fighting against black voter suppression.
Rahn says it is about their ability to cheat.
"I think the Democrats are really trying to hide the fact that they know that there are anomalies, inconsistencies, and cheating going on in elections, and they are protecting undocumented individuals who are accessing the ballot and a lot of sloppiness in mail-in ballots,” Rahn states. “I don't think this is going to help them come midterms."
