Press Releases

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) released the following statement after House Rules Committee Republicans unanimously opposed her amendment to protect voting rights in Colorado. Pettersen’s amendment would ensure the Trump-backed voter suppression bill would not disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. As currently written, the SAVE Act could kick 21 million people off voter rolls, disproportionately impacting younger voters, voters of color, and millions of women whose married names aren’t on their birth certificates or passports. 

Today the House passed the deeply flawed voter suppression bill following a series of alarming moves by Donald Trump to ban mail-in-ballot systems, despite no public evidence of widespread voter fraud. In addition, one of his top allies, Steve Bannon, has called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to “surround the polls” as an intimidation tactic. 

“Donald Trump — the man who incited a violent insurrection after losing a free and fair election — wants to rig the election before it’s even happened. He’s doing everything possible to stop people from showing up on election day — including making it harder for women to stay registered to vote and even threatening to deploy ICE agents to the polls to intimidate registered, legal voters. Trump sees the writing on the wall: the American people are fed up with a corrupt president who will throw us under the bus in order to enrich himself, his family, and his billionaire buddies. 

“Colorado has one of the most accessible and most secure voting systems in the country. I’m disappointed — but not surprised — that Republicans unanimously opposed my amendment to make sure millions aren’t kicked off voter rolls. But we’re not going to stop fighting to protect free and fair elections so every person can have their voice heard at the ballot box. The future of our democracy depends on it.”

Specifically, Pettersen’s amendment:

• Would have delayed the implementation of the bill until all state election officials certify that this bill will not reduce voting access.

The so-called “SAVE” Act:

• Creates a barrier for women to vote who have changed their name. 

• Roughly 69 million women in the US, which accounts for about 25% of the US citizen voting age population, have IDs that do not match their birth certificates. This is because they have changed their last name after getting married.

• Requiring in-person voter registration, in addition to more paperwork, will make voting exceptionally hard for working women and women with caregiving responsibilities. 

• 61% of caregivers in the United States are women, and women spend more time engaging in intensive caregiving tasks compared to men. So, more women would have to navigate their care duties with registering to vote in-person.

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To access downloadable, high-quality photos, click here. To stay up-to-date on what Pettersen is doing in Congress, follow her on Twitter here, Facebook here, or Instagram here. Residents can  also sign-up for her e-newsletter subscription here.