ELCA Action Alert: Reject Voting Barriers and Oppose the SAVE America Act

Action AlertELCA AdvocacyCongressVoting2026 Election
Written By Solveig Muus

Ahead of a contentious midterm election, Congress is considering legislation that would raise barriers to voting. Take action today!

The SAVE America Act (S. 1383) would create far-reaching changes to federal voting law. Changes would include adding requirements for voters to provide burdensome proof of eligibility, including documentary proof of U.S. citizenship like birth certificates to register to vote, and stricter photo identification, such as passport requirements for casting a ballot. These changes would not make any noticeable change to election security. By making it harder to both prove eligibility and register to vote, the adjustments would disproportionately impact rural, low-income and marginalized communities, and members of Tribal Nations.

The ELCA affirms voter participation as an exercise in citizenship and condemns efforts to restrict access – especially for low-income communities which are often left out of the election process. The ELCA social message “Government and Civic Engagement in the United States: Discipleship in a Democracy” urges rejection of “antidemocratic exclusion” efforts to restrict voting, including “requiring voters to show identification without issuing identification to all eligible voters,” purging voter rolls, and more.

If passed, the SAVE America Act would:

  1. Hastily prompt adjustments to states’ voting systems in a rush ahead of a busy election season;

  2. Require strict proof of citizenship to register (such as a passport or birth certificate, which millions of American citizens don’t have access to);

  1. Place burden of verification not on internal state processes but on the efforts of individual citizens with the new regulation burdens.

The Arizona Spin

Current Arizona law already requires proof of citizenship to vote a full ballot. Arizona voters who provide valid documentary proof of citizenship may vote in federal, state, and local races, while otherwise eligible voters whose citizenship cannot be verified may be registered as “federal-only” voters until they provide that documentation. The proposed SAVE America Act would take proof-of-citizenship requirements national and add new federal documentation rules. Those proposed changes could create additional paperwork barriers for eligible voters who may have difficulty accessing documents — including students, older adults, naturalized citizens, Tribal members, people with disabilities, low-income voters, rural voters, unhoused neighbors, and people whose names have changed. For Arizona faith communities, the question is not whether only eligible citizens should vote — that is already the law — but whether new federal rules would actually improve election security or instead exclude eligible neighbors from civic participation. LAMA urges Arizona Lutherans to reject misinformation, defend access for every eligible voter, and ask whether proposed voting changes serve the common good or deepen what ELCA social teaching calls “antidemocratic exclusion.”

One idea an Arizona resident might use to ‘customize’ the ELCA’s template letter to legislators:

As an Arizona Lutheran, I am especially concerned that proposals like the SAVE America Act could add new documentation barriers in a state where proof-of-citizenship rules already create confusion for some eligible voters. Please oppose policies that make it harder for students, older adults, Tribal members, naturalized citizens, rural voters, low-income neighbors, and people with name changes to exercise their right to vote.

Make Congress aware of the challenges these attempts pose, and of the moral concerns from the Christian community ahead of any vote. Customizing this message with your top concerns and faith values will improve your impact. Urge Congress to oppose the SAVE America Act and reject any measure that will restrict access to voting.

Customize this message with your own thoughts on voting rights and the barriers this bill could present to vulnerable communities. Do you know someone who will be affected if the SAVE America Act passes?

CONTACT YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS

Find my members of Congress here.

Read the Action Alert in the ELCA Advocacy Action Center

Arizona Congressional Delegation

Solveig Muus
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