President Trump Uses State of the Union to Lie and Sow Mistrust in Our Electoral System
Washington, D.C. — During his State of the Union address, President Trump lied about election integrity and further sowed distrust in our electoral system by once again promoting the SAVE America Act as part of efforts to take over U.S. elections. In response to President Trump’s claims, Voto Latino issued the following statement:
“President Trump once again pushed to pass the SAVE Act. This is the most alarming statement he has said tonight. His statement stems from the fact that he knows that he is actively losing ground with voters of color—voters that are going to decide the margin of victory come November. The president has routinely said the quiet part out loud, and tonight was no different. He admitted his intent to ban mail-in ballots for a majority of Americans. This is a direct attempt to further disenfranchise marginalized communities.
At the same time, he is continuing to give rise to false claims about who is casting a ballot. The law is clear and has been proven time and again: only eligible U.S. citizens can cast a ballot. The SAVE America Act claims to enhance election integrity, but nothing could be further from the truth. By imposing unnecessary proof-of-citizenship requirements and eliminating accessible registration options, it creates new barriers for young voters, voters of color, naturalized citizens, married women, disabled Americans, and millions without easy access to documentation. Let’s be clear about what this is: an attempt by the administration to impose a new poll tax on its citizens.”
This is the extent to which the SAVE America Act will disenfranchise communities:
- U.S. Citizens Without Passports
Approximately 146 million Americans do not have a valid passport. The cost to obtain a passport ranges from $65 to $195 per person, creating an additional financial barrier for many eligible voters.
- American Women and Individuals with Name Changes
An estimated 69 million women and 4 million men do not have birth certificates matching their current legal name due to marriage or other changes—creating barriers to providing required documents.
- Voters Without Access to Original Documentation
Roughly 21 million voting-age Americans lack ready access to documents like birth certificates or naturalization papers—especially those in lower-income or rural communities.
- Black and Latino Voters
More than one in four Black and Latino adult citizens do not have a driver’s license that reflects their current name or address (28% and 27% respectively).
- Voters with Disabilities
In 2020, more than 53% of voters with a disability voted by mail. Under the SAVE America Act, voters who choose to vote by mail would be required to provide a copy of an approved photo ID with their ballot.
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Voto Latino is a civic advocacy organization dedicated to educating and empowering the next generation of Latino voters while working to build a more inclusive and representative democracy. Since its founding, Voto Latino has registered over two million voters. In 2024, the organization took legal action to protect voting rights, filing multiple lawsuits in Texas, Arizona, and North Carolina to safeguard access to the ballot ahead of the elections.