Trump's anti-democracy bill

 NPR - The bill would require a photo ID that proves U.S. citizenship, like a birth certificate or passport, in order to register to vote. Millions of Americans don’t have easy access to those documents, NPR’s Miles Parks says. As the vote approaches, it is increasingly likely that Trump will be disappointed with the results. Senate Democrats are firmly opposed to the bill. To pass the legislation, it needs 60 votes to break the filibuster threshold, but Republicans only hold 53 seats. Trump has insisted he doesn't want a watered-down version of this bill. But Parks says that if it were narrower and possibly focused solely on photo ID, it might have garnered more support from both parties. 

The New Republic -   Under the bill, all registered voters would be required to go to a voting registrar in person to reregister, providing proof of citizenship. For those in 45 states, a Real ID will not suffice; voters would need a passport, passport card, or certified birth certificate (not a copy). For married women who have changed their names, there are many more hoops to jump through, including a marriage certificate and other proof of the legitimacy of their name.

Half of Americans do not have passports; getting one costs at least $165, plus photos, and requires … a birth certificate or certificate of naturalization. A passport card, with the same requirements, costs $65 plus photos. Marco Rubio’s State Department has cut the passport office in half and removed the ability of people to submit applications for a passport to local libraries, meaning physically going to an official office, which for many would mean traveling hundreds of miles.

Many millions of Americans have no idea where their birth certificates are or have one that will not suffice under this bill; getting an official one, which is not always easy, can cost up to $100.

A core element of the Jim Crow laws in Southern states to block Black people from voting was a poll tax, used from the 1890s to the 1960s. It was outlawed for federal elections by the 24th Amendment in 1964, and by the Supreme Court for state and local elections two years later. The SAVE America act is a modern poll tax, plain and simple, and is flatly unconstitutional.