U.S. SEN ALEX PADILLA has announced plans to introduce a bill aimed at setting up more protections from the purging of voter rolls as the federal government seeks to collect personal voter information from dozens of states.
As conversations around election integrity dominate with Texas’ congressional redistricting and California’s response with Proposition 50, Padilla, D-Calif., and other members of Congress are raising concerns over potential voting roll purges due to the federal government’s attempts to gather voter information from state voter rolls.
“We’re trying to protect voters, and in doing so, protect our fundamental democracy in the United States of America,” Padilla said during a virtual briefing to announce the bill. “For that reason, we’re introducing this bill and calling upon all of our colleagues, both sides of the aisle, to join us in this effort.”
Padilla and U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, who represents Columbus, Ohio, have partnered up to introduce bicameral legislation called the “Voter Purge Protection Act.”
The bill would prevent the withdrawal of eligibility to vote in elections unless supporting evidence, such as proof that a registered voter moved out of state or has died, is provided. It also requires that voters who are pulled from registered voter rolls be notified within 48 hours of removal.
Additionally, the bill would prohibit the purging of registered voters who have not participated in previous elections.
Padilla’s and Beatty’s decision to craft the bill stems from allegations that the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security in President Donald Trump’s administration are creating a centralized database of all registered voters, including sensitive voter information. One of the purposes of collecting voter registration information, Padilla and Beatty suspect, is to conduct a purge of voter rolls.
“We felt it was important to introduce this bill today because the voter rolls are under siege by the Trump Administration,” Beatty said during the webinar.
Last month, the Department of Justice filed lawsuits against eight states, including California, for refusing to hand over complete voter registration information. The federal government’s purported goal of collecting voter information is to identify potential instances of non-citizens voting.
Some Democrats and voting rights organizations have also alleged that the DOJ is using the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system, or SAVE, as a tool to purge voter rolls. SAVE was created by Congress in 1986 to verify the immigration status of individuals applying for benefits and licenses.
“The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Department of Homeland Security, rapidly retrofitted its Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database program known as the SAVE program, to act as a citizenship check for voters,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.
“We’re trying to protect voters, and in doing so, protect our fundamental democracy in the United States of America.”
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla
Last week, several voting rights organizations filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump Administration, alleging that the DOJ is using SAVE to conduct voter roll purges.
“This administration’s attempt to manipulate federal data systems to unlawfully target its own citizens and purge voters is one of the most serious threats to free and fair elections in decades,” said League of Women Voters CEO Celina Stewart in a statement.
The League of Women Voters, a national organization that aims to provide voting education, is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
More than 20 other U.S. senators have co-sponsored the bill, including Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
With election day approaching, some Democratic politicians are raising the alarm on the urgency of moving the bill forward.
“The Voter Purge Protection Act proposed by Senator Padilla and Representative Beatty would give critical protections to voters across the country,” Simon said. “It would ensure that voters will at least be provided the information about their registration status and an opportunity to correct the record before election day.”