Hispanic leaders back SAVE Act in letter to Senate

According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, 82% of Hispanic Americans favor ID requirements for voting. This week, Hispanic leaders captured that community's sentiment in a letter to the Senate asking lawmakers to pass the Save bill.

This bill, which has been strongly advocated by President Donald Trump and Republicans, proposes requiring proof of citizenship at the time of registration to vote and valid identification at the polls. In the letter sent by the America First Policy Institute's Hispanic Leadership Coalition (AFPI) and signed by fifteen of its members, it reads as follows:

"To suggest, as opponents of the SAVE America Act do, that voter ID requirements and proof of citizenship disproportionately impact minorities is not only unsupported by evidence but is offensive and condescending. It presumes that entire communities lack the capacity to meet basic civic requirements."

In that regard, Bob Unanue, President of the Hispanic Leadership Coalition, told us: “It’s offensive to suggest that Hispanic Americans cannot meet basic requirements like showing ID. These are standards we follow every day, whether boarding a plane or opening a bank account. Voting should be no different.”

Meanwhile, Alfonso Aguilar, director of AFPI's Hispanic Leadership Coalition asserted that “Hispanics are tired of being treated as citizens who are incapable of fulfilling our civic duty."

The letter also points out that Hispanics are largely accustomed to requirements when it comes to voting, given that all Latin American countries require identification in order to exercise that right. "Puerto Rico offers a telling counterpoint. As the poorest jurisdiction in the United States, with a 99% Hispanic population, Puerto Rico requires ID to vote and routinely registers some of the highest voter turnout rates in the nation."

Republicans have been trying for weeks to push this bill through, but have been met with strong opposition from Democrats. Polls show not only that Hispanics support requiring ID at the time of voting, but that even among Democrat voters, the measure is widely popular.

According to a Harvard-Harris poll, 81% of voters support requiring ID to vote, a figure that includes 70% of Democratic voters and 79% of independent voters. Despite this, Democrats insist on going against even their own voters.