North Carolina has long been a testing ground for efforts to silence voters. From extreme gerrymandering to relentless and restrictive voter ID laws, we’ve seen lawmakers chip away at our freedom to vote under the false guise of “election integrity.”
Now, we’re witnessing it again with the Trump Administration’s newest attempted power grab—an unconstitutional Executive Order that would do nothing to protect elections but would do plenty to strip eligible voters of their constitutional right to vote. It’s the latest move in an authoritarian playbook designed to make voting harder—all while masquerading as an effort to protect the security of our elections. This Executive Order is blatantly unconstitutional and is a clear distraction from the real issue at hand: the SAVE Act which, if enacted, would disenfranchise millions of voters by requiring proof of citizenship.
At first glance, requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote might seem like common sense, but in reality, it throws up unnecessary roadblocks for eligible voters, disproportionately impacting people of color, naturalized citizens, and elderly residents. North Carolina lawmakers have been playing this game for years, throwing up obstacles, creating confusion, and manufacturing fear to keep certain voices out of the process. This order is just the latest chapter in that shameful playbook.
As the data have shown, time and again: noncitizen voting is not a widespread problem. In fact, multiple studies and election audits have confirmed that such cases are virtually nonexistent. Yet lawmakers keep pushing this myth to justify proposed ballot measures and laws that would make it harder for eligible citizens to vote. This bill isn’t about protecting elections—it’s about creating barriers, fueling fear, and silencing voters who don’t fit their agenda.
I’ve spoken with naturalized citizens who have spent years navigating our immigration system, proudly earning their right to vote—only to now face another bureaucratic nightmare to prove their citizenship. I’ve heard from elderly Black voters born in the Jim Crow South, whose births were never formally recorded, and who now fear they’ll be turned away at the polls. And I know working mothers, like myself, who have changed their last names after marriage, only to find that mismatched documents could threaten their ability to vote. These aren’t hypotheticals; they are real people, our neighbors, who will be disenfranchised.
I experienced these complications firsthand when I voted in the 2016 primary. I walked into my polling place with my three-month-old baby, having just legally changed my name. I did everything right—I updated my name with the DMV and changed my voter registration to match. But when I arrived, I learned that my registration hadn’t been processed due to an error. The only way I could vote was under my maiden name, which was allowed under the law at the time. This wasn’t my mistake—it was a failure of the system. With this executive order, even more voters will face similar obstacles—except they might not be so fortunate.
It’s shameful and disheartening to see our North Carolina legislators and elected leaders, like Representative Don Davis, working against voters’ best interests by actively supporting legislation that would make it harder for North Carolinians to make their voices heard. If our leaders truly cared about election security, they’d be working to expand voter access, modernize our election systems, and ensure that every eligible voter can cast their ballot without jumping through unnecessary hoops. Instead, our elected leaders are resorting to fear-mongering and deception to push an agenda that serves their own interests, not the American people nor the people of North Carolina.
North Carolinians must stand against the SAVE Act, the Executive Order, and any other efforts to make voting harder. Our democracy is strongest when every eligible voter can cast their ballot freely and fairly. We cannot allow self-serving lawmakers to strip away our rights under the pretense of security. It’s time to push back against these attacks and demand a system that works for all of us—not just those in power.
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