CONGRESSMAN GRAY STATEMENT ON VOTING AGAINST ANTI-VOTER BILL THAT WOULD BAR CALIFORNIANS FROM BALLOT BOX

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Adam Gray (D-Merced) issued the following statement after voting on the SAVE Act.

“It is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in our elections. And it should be. If and when someone presents evidence, backed by the courts, of significant voter fraud, I believe we must make rooting it out the highest priority of our Department of Justice,” said Congressman Gray.

“I voted against a badly written, misguided, partisan bill that would have raised barriers to voting for thousands of legal eligible voters in the San Joaquin Valley.”

The SAVE Act would require that Californians present either a valid US passport or a birth certificate and a government-issued ID under the same name to register to vote. Eligible voters who do not have a valid passport would have to pay $130 for a passport in order to register.

“According to the nonpartisan Center for American Progress roughly 59% of eligible voters in my district do not have a valid passport,” Congressman Gray continued.

 “The 110,627 married women in my district whose names may not match their birth certificates couldn’t register to vote.

“Military voters would not be allowed to use their service ID to register and those deployed overseas would have to travel back home to register.

“When my colleagues decide to get serious and have a reasonable bipartisan bill to present, I’m ready to work with them.”

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