My Turn:Jane Santogossi

This article was published in the News-Gazette on October 7, 2025

Use your ‘power of one’ to fight voter suppression by Oct. 20

The League of Women  Voters of Champaign County encourages all eligible voters to oppose a proposed change to the federal voter-registration form often used in this county. That change would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when using the form to register to vote in federal elections. 

Like the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which to date has not passed Congress, this proposal would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote or update your address — even if you’re just moving down the street. 

The proposal identifies acceptable documents: “a U.S. Passport; a state issued, Real ID-compliant driver’s li cense indicating that the applicant is a 
U.S. citizen; an official military identification card that indicates the applicant name does not match, additional or substitute paperwork will likely be required. Both will cost time and money.  
“These requirements would inconvenience many voters, carry a cost to access official documents and could disenfranchise millions of voters over time,” said Ann Prisland, voter registration coordinator with the local chapter of the League. 

 This latest proposal, like the SAVE Act, addresses a problem that does not exist. Election officials in every state use reliable data sources to ensure every registered voter is an eligible U.S. citizen, and regularly review their voter-registration lists. Federal laws already make it a crim inal offense for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. And every credible study shows that the incidence of voting by noncitizens is minuscule. 
There are times when each of us can act to support democracy and the right to vote. Use your “power of one” to fight this attempt at voter suppression. 

​Jane Santogrossi is president of the League of Women Voters of Champaign County.