Why Are Some People Attempting to Suppress Our Right to Vote?

The primary goal of many people and groups working to disenfranchise as many people as possible and suppress the vote is power, not integrity. Shrinking the electorate, especially among poor, Black, Latino and immigrant voters who lean Democratic, improves Republican odds. The SAVE Act has not passed the Senate, but its arguments and tactics are being used all across the country and here in California to intimidate and manipulate our elections. Opponents of free and fair elections circulate a Trump quote that if the SAVE Act passes, Republicans will “never lose a race for 50 years.”

The fraud premise collapses under scrutiny. A 2017 Brennan Center study found 30 suspected noncitizen votes among 23.5 million cast in 2016, about 0.0001 percent. Georgia’s audit of 8.2 million registered voters found 20 noncitizens who registered, nine of whom cast ballots. North Carolina found 41 noncitizen votes out of 4.8 million in 2016, and a 25-year Georgia audit found 1,634 noncitizen registration attempts, none successful. Advocates add that the claims rest on discredited sources, such as the proof-of-citizenship effort in Kansas, where a court found the state failed to present credible evidence, and on the false claims of a stolen 2020 election. They say the real purpose of the fraud narrative is to justify restrictions now and to lay the groundwork for litigation to overturn results later.

Attempts to Suppress Voting Include

  1. Proof of citizenship and photo ID, even for people already verified. The SAVE America Act would require documentary proof of citizenship to register, plus a national photo ID requirement for in-person and mail voting. Registrants already attest to citizenship under penalty of perjury, and states check ID information against DMV records; critics say the added paper requirement mainly burdens people without a passport or birth certificate at hand. The bill passed the House 218-213 but faces long odds in the Senate (60-vote threshold). GOP-led states are copying it: Florida, Louisiana, New Hampshire and Wyoming have passed their own proof-of-citizenship laws.
  2. Deputizing lawsuits against election officials. The bill would let individuals sue election officials who register voters without the required documents, and would impose criminal penalties on those officials. Advocates argue this pressures clerks to reject borderline applications rather than risk prosecution.
  3. Burdens on disadvantaged voters. Advocacy groups cite reduced polling hours in communities of color, eliminated early voting, discriminatory ID rules, and document requirements that fall hardest on people of color who lack such documents. The Institute for Policy Studies counts at least 44 restrictive laws in 19 states since January 2025.
  4. Intimidating naturalized citizens and immigrant communities. Trump has said he is willing to send ICE or the National Guard to the polls, and Steve Bannon has urged ICE to “surround the polls,” according to one advocacy group. Advocates say the fear works even without a deployment: LULAC’s president notes ICE does not need to appear at many sites to spread fear. Common Cause is suing to enforce an 1865 federal law barring federal law enforcement from polling places. DHS denies any plan to target polling locations.
  5. Intimidating election workers. A Brennan Center survey found 38% of local election officials report threats, harassment or abuse, and 62% worry about elected bosses interfering with their work. Advocates link this to years of stolen-election claims; a jury found for two Georgia election workers who sued Rudy Giuliani over false claims about them.
  6. Limiting mail voting. A Trump executive order would limit vote-by-mail, the primary method across much of the West. A federal judge blocked it nationwide, ruling the executive branch has no authority to regulate elections. Critics add that repeated attacks on mail voting erode trust in it even when blocked in court.
  7. Voter-roll data demands and purges. The ACLU says the DOJ is stockpiling millions of Americans’ confidential voter data to build a national database to surveil and purge voters. A judge noted federal law bars systematic purges within 90 days of an election, and a federal judge recently blocked the DOJ policy of checking state rolls against a federal database. American Oversight also flags an error-prone roll-cleaning tool (EagleAI) being tested by an election-denial network.
  8. Mass voter challenges. One analysis reports only about 3 percent of mass eligibility challenges were found legitimate, yet they slow the process and deter voters.
  9. Federal agents and monitors near polling places. The DOJ sent monitors to five California counties for the Prop 50 election at the request of the state GOP, even though no federal contests were on that ballot. California sent its own observers to watch them. Supporters note that monitors are routine and both parties deploy poll watchers.
  10. Confusing messaging. The ACLU says officials are discouraging eligible voters with deliberately confusing messages about voter eligibility.
  11. Using the DOJ to sue states and demand voters’ private information. Days ago, the DOJ gave California 48 hours to review a list of names it calls “likely noncitizens” in Los Angeles County or face legal action; Reuters says this may signal preparation to challenge ballots in the coming weeks. Attorney General Bonta calls it a campaign to advance fraud conspiracy theories. Courts have already blocked parts of the DOJ approach. When the DOJ used this tactic in Nevada, NOT ONE person was found to be illegally registered to vote. It is a baseless and morally bankrupt intimidation tactic. On October 14 the DOJ went further, asking Los Angeles County and Secretary of State Shirley Weber to separate and refuse to count more than 20,000 ballots based on a list of allegedly ineligible voters; the coalition opposing the move says the list rests on undisclosed and unreliable citizenship data. The DOJ sued California on October 15. A coalition including the Campaign Legal Center, Democracy Defenders Fund and the NAACP (on behalf of LULAC, the NAACP, the NAACP California/Hawaii State Conference and the NAACP Los Angeles Branch) has moved to intervene on the side of California voters; no ruling on that motion had been reported as of October 16.
  12. Executive-order mandates. A March 2025 Trump executive order directs the Election Assistance Commission to require proof of citizenship from voters, an effort to impose through executive action what Congress has not passed. A federal judge has already ruled, in blocking a related order, that the executive branch has no authority to regulate elections.
  13. Voting-equipment decertification. Voting-rights groups worry about a proposal that the Election Assistance Commission rescind all prior certifications of voting equipment and require technology that is not currently on the market, leaving states in a catch-22. If machines are left uncertified, experts warn Trump might try to resurrect his 2020 idea of seizing them.
  14. Cuts to election security funding. The Brennan Center’s annual survey of local election officials found concern over the loss of election security funding and staff after the Trump administration cut federal election security grants.
  15. Redistricting and certification pressure. The Institute for Policy Studies describes unprecedented mid-decade redistricting that has potentially made voting less representative and more partisan, and voting-rights groups warn of pressure on the certification process. Critics describe this as part of a broader effort to tilt the midterms. California’s Prop 50 was a response to Republican gerrymandering elsewhere.

Action Items for People of Faith

  • Host Souls to the Polls events. Invite other congregations; the tradition has expanded beyond Black churches to multiracial, multifaith gatherings.
  • Staff polling places with poll chaplains paired with lawyers, modeled on Sojourners’ “Lawyers and Collars” program.
  • Protect immigrant and naturalized voters. Offer rides, accompaniment and know-your-rights information, and share the voter protection hotline, 866-OUR-VOTE.
  • Support election workers. Thank local officials publicly and call for prosecution of threats against them.
  • Join the multifaith coalitions already at work, such as Faith in Us, NETWORK’s “See.Love.Vote” campaign and the Freedom Summer efforts.
  • Preach and teach on the dignity of the vote, drawing on the “good trouble” and Freedom Summer traditions.
  • Keep it nonpartisan. Congregations should stay nonpartisan to protect tax-exempt status; framing this around access and safety for every eligible voter is also the most persuasive message.

Action items specific to California

  • Put the California Council of Churches’ materials in your congregation’s hands. The Council’s “Your Vote Is Your Power: A California Voter’s Guide for 2026” and its “Vote for the Common Good” reflection can go straight into bulletins and newsletters, and CA Church IMPACT’s recommendations on the November propositions are available at churchimpact.org.
  • Share PICO California’s “Voting Is Sacred” voter guide. It comes as a printable 8.5×11 guide, social media graphics and a Spanish-language version. PICO California describes itself as nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates.
  • Start or join a local poll chaplain program. Faith in the Valley announced a Poll Chaplain program in San Joaquin County on October 7, in which Catholic clergy and multifaith leaders will help promote a peaceful environment for voters and poll workers on Election Day. It was one of four Central Valley press conferences. The national Faiths United in Saving Democracy deployment of more than 1,200 poll chaplains lists nine other battleground states, so most California congregations will need to organize locally.
  • Reach Muslim, Sikh and immigrant neighbors in their own languages. CAIR Sacramento Valley is hosting a 2026 Voter Guide Webinar on October 21, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. At the Stockton event, a Stockton Gurdwara Sahib board member spoke partly in Punjabi so elders and immigrants could follow. Offer translated materials and interpreters.
  • Share the key California dates and tools. Ballots went out October 5. The regular registration deadline was October 19, but same-day registration is available at county elections offices or voting locations through Election Day. Early in-person vote centers open October 24 in Voter’s Choice Act counties, October 27 is the recommended last day to mail a ballot, and Election Day is November 3, with polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters can check registration at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov and call the Secretary of State hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683).
  • Help voters track their ballots. With the DOJ now demanding that Los Angeles County set aside more than 20,000 ballots, encourage every voter to sign up for the state’s Where’s My Ballot service and to respond promptly if their county contacts them about a problem with their ballot.

Rebuttals from the Other Side

Supporters of these measures dispute the motive and the framing. Republican senators say the SAVE Act is aimed at strengthening election security, and they cite polling, including Pew, showing broad support for photo ID across party lines. The DOJ recently announced charges against 64 foreign nationals in 17 states, which it cites as evidence of a real problem. Georgia’s audit did find a small number of real noncitizen registrations, though Georgia officials themselves called such cases rare. Both parties deploy poll watchers, and the state GOP says requesting monitors is normal. DHS says no ICE operations are planned at polling places, and claims of coordinated armed disruption remain predictions rather than documented events. Many of the “suppression” characterizations above come from advocacy organizations rather than neutral analysts.

Sources

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *