Voter Eligibility Changes

I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. A FEDERAL LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED AGAINST FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS HOURS AFTER HE SIGNED A NEW LAW. HE SAYS WILL SAFEGUARD THE ELECTION PROCESS. THE LAW'S A MODIFIED VERSION OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S SAFEGUARD AMERICAN VOTER ELIGIBILITY ACT. IT WOULD REQUIRE NEW AND CURRENT VOTERS TO PROVIDE PROOF OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP SUCH AS A PASSPORT OR A BIRTH CERTIFICATE IN ORDER TO REGISTER TO VOTE. ACCORDING TO THE LAWSUIT, JUST FILED BY MULTIPLE VOTING RIGHTS AND CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS. THE NEW LAW WILL, QUOTE, MAKE IT HARDER FOR ELIGIBLE U.S. CITIZENS TO VOTE AND FOR SOME IMPOSSIBLE, A CONTRADICTION TO GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS. >> FOR TAX AND EXPANDS INTEGRITY AND OUR VOTER REGISTRATION PROCESS BY REQUIRING THE VERIFICATION OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP. WHEN YOU'RE DOING YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION, OUR CONSTITUTION IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA SAYS ONLY AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE ALLOWED TO VOTE IN OUR ELECTIONS. AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS THE LAW. >> ANDREW GARVER IS COUNSEL WITH THE BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE. HE JOINS US TODAY FROM NEW YORK. HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY? >> NOELLE, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON. >> WE ARE HEARING A LOT ABOUT THIS SAVE ACT BOTH ON THE STATE LEVEL AND ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL. CAN YOU EXPLAIN FOR OUR AUDIENCE WHAT IS THE SAVE ACT? >> THE SAVE ACT IS A BILL BEFORE CONGRESS THAT WOULD DO A FEW DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WOULD BE REALLY HARMFUL FOR OUR ELECTIONS NATIONWIDE, PERHAPS AMONG THOSE IS THAT IT WOULD REQUIRE ALL AMERICANS TO PRESENT A PASSPORT OR BIRTH CERTIFICATE OR SIMILAR DOCUMENT TO BE ABLE TO REGISTER TO VOTE. NOW, THERE ARE 21 MILLION AMERICANS WHO DON'T HAVE READY ACCESS TO THESE DOCUMENTS IS A POLICY THAT WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT VAST SWATS OF THE ELECTORATE IN THE COUNTRY. THERE'S NO EVIDENCE THAT ANYONE BUT AMERICANS ARE VOTING AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE VOTING IN OUR ELECTIONS. AND SO THIS BILL WOULD REALLY BE A VOTER SUPPRESSION MEASURE THAT MAKE IT A LOT HARDER FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE TO VOTE WHILE NOT ACTUALLY PROVIDING ANY ADDITIONAL ELECTION SECURITY. FLORIDA HAS PASSED ITS OWN VERSION OF THE SAVE ACT IN RECENT DAYS. THAT AGAIN WOULD REQUIRE A LOT OF ITS CITIZENS TAP TO PRESENT SOMETHING LIKE A PASSPORT OR BIRTH CERTIFICATE TO BE ABLE TO REGISTER A VOTE AND THAT'S GOING TO FALL REALLY A LOT OF PEOPLE IN FLORIDA. >> IS THE SAVE ACT THAT WAS RECENTLY PASSED BY A GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS AND SIGNED INTO LAW THIS WEEK. IS THAT VERY SIMILAR OR THE SAME AS TO WHAT IS BEING DONE ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL? >> THERE ARE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES, BUT THERE ARE SOME KEY DIFFERENCES THE FEDERAL BILL WOULD REQUIRE EVERYONE EVERY TIME THEY REGISTER OR EVERY TIME THE CHANGE THEIR REGISTRATION TO AFFIRMATIVELY PRESENT THE PASSPORT BIRTH CERTIFICATE OR SIMILAR DOCUMENT. THE FLORIDA BILL ADDS A WRINKLE TO THAT. IT DIRECTS THE STATE TO CREATE A SORT OF CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION SYSTEM. SO WHENEVER YOU SUBMIT A VOTER REGISTRATION FORM, THEY WILL CHECK THAT AGAINST SOME THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES RECORDS IF DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES SAYS THAT YOU'RE A CITIZEN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING FURTHER. BUT FOR VOTERS WHERE THEY'RE NOT VERIFIED, THEY WILL THAT HAVE TO PRESENT THE PASSPORT OR BIRTH CERTIFICATE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THIS IS SIGNIFICANT DMV RECORDS CAN BE ADDED DATE. PEOPLE MAY GO THERE TO GET A LICENSE BEFORE THEY BECOME A CITIZEN AND THAT'S NOT UPDATED IN THE SYSTEM. THESE RECORDS SOMETIMES ARE, YOU KNOW, AREN'T ALWAYS THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INTO THE COMPLICATED TO GET THESE TO THE SYSTEMS TO TALK TO EACH OTHER. SO IT'S A REALLY BIG BURDEN FOR OFFICIALS IN THE STATE TO FIGURE THIS OUT. AND AGAIN, THIS IS GOING TO HAVE PARTICULARLY HARSH IMPACTS AND CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY IN FLORIDA, INCLUDING OLDER VOTERS, PEOPLE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES MAY BE LESS LIKELY TO HAVE A DRIVER'S LIST. >> DO YOU FEEL THAT THIS IS REALLY A FEDERAL ATTACK ON THE RIGHT TO VOTE? >> THE SAVE ACT IS PART OF A WIDESPREAD ATTACK WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST FEW YEARS ON THE RIGHT TO VOTE. TO BE CLEAR, OUR ELECTIONS ARE VERY SAFE AND VERY SECURE. EVERYTHING. WE'VE SEEN EVERY STUDY, EVERY INVESTIGATION HAS CONFIRMED THAT THERE IS NO WIDESPREAD VOTER FRAUD. TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. THE STATE OF UTAH RECENTLY GRANITZ THEIR BIG INVESTIGATION. IT RAN ITS VOTER ROLLS THROUGH THIS FEDERAL DATABASE TO FIND ANY NONCITIZENS ON THERE. THERE'S ABOUT 1.7 MILLION REGISTERED VOTERS IN UTAH AND THEY FOUND ONE NONCITIZEN ON THE ROLLS. THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARILY RARE PROBLEM. IT'S ALREADY ILLEGAL FOR NON-CITIZENS TO VOTE OR REGISTER TO VOTE IN OUR ELECTIONS. THAT'S TRUE. AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. THAT'S TRUE. IN EVERY STATE. AND ALL THE EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT ONLY ELIGIBLE AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE VOTING IN OUR ELECTIONS. >> THE SAVE ACT WILL FACE POTENTIAL LAWSUITS. WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THE LAW REMAINS IN ITS CURRENT FORM? >> IT'S ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO PRONOUNCE IT ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN A GIVEN LAWSUIT. I DEFINITELY I BELIEVE THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT LEGAL ISSUES WITH IT. AGAIN, WE TALKED ABOUT WHOLE PLACE IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT BURDEN ON THE RIGHT VOTE UNDER OUR CONSTITUTION. STATES MAY NOT PLACE WITH CALLED AN UNDUE BURDEN ON THE RIGHT TO VOTE, WHICH MEANS IF THEY'RE GOING TO PUT UP HURDLES, IF THEY'RE GONNA MAKE VOTERS JUMP THROUGH HOOPS TO BE ABLE TO CAST THEIR BALLOT. THERE HAS TO BE PROPORTIONATE REASON WHY THE STATE IS DOING THAT. AND WHEN THIS IS THIS NEW LAW SEEMS TO NOT RELY ON ANY NEED FOR ELECTION SECURITY, BUT HE'S PUTTING UP BIG NEW HURDLES. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK RAISES A LOT OF RED FLAGS. >> IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US TODAY ABOUT THIS? SAY THAT? >> THE SAVE ACT AND SIMILAR LEGISLATION THAT'S MAKING IT HARDER FOR AMERICANS TO VOTE ARE OFTEN ROOTED IN EFFORTS TO PROMOTE FALSE IS ABOUT OUR ELECTIONS. THE TRUTH IS OUR ELECTIONS OR SAFE AND SECURE. BUT IN THE OTHER TRUTH IS THERE ARE 21 MILLION AMERICANS WITHOUT READY ACCESS TO A PASSPORT OR BIRTH CERTIFICATE. SO WHEN THESE ALSO TO TRANSLATE INTO POLICY. IT'S THE AMERICAN CITIZENS TRYING JUST TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE TO BE PART OF THEIR COMMUNITY THAT SUFFERED THE >> MR. ANDREW GARVER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY FROM NEW YORK. WE APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH.