JACOBY SOTER, BELLOWS FREE ACADEMY
Essay 1: Tell us your opinion about an issue concerning voting rights or practices.
The SAVE America Act represents the most pressing threat to voting rights in the United States today. The SAVE Act restricts mail-in ballots, requires ID copies, and demands proof of citizenship, disenfranchising voters who cannot access polling places, who have family obligations or medical conditions, or who lack the required documentation.
Close to me is how the SAVE Act will affect college students. Many lack access to identification documents like birth certificates or passports needed under the SAVE Act. Additionally, the requirement to copy an ID disadvantages voters without access to printers or the time to obtain copies. The arbitrary proof-of-citizenship requirement, which disproportionately affects low-income and minority communities, silences the voices our democracy most needs to hear. These barriers are deliberate obstacles to participation in our democracy.
The justification for the SAVE Act is backed up by mere feelings, not facts. The Brennan Center for Justice compiled more than 20 studies from 2010 to 2018 that found election fraud rates of only 0.0003–0.0025 percent. Meaning, Americans are statistically more likely to be struck by lightning than to encounter voter impersonation.
The SAVE Act’s true purpose is not protecting democracy but restricting participation in it. As someone with an immigrant father, voter rights are personal for me. Which is why I have watched three presidential elections, where my knowledge was sufficient, but my age was not. That experience motivated my advocacy for H.640, legislation I helped promote in my role as Director of Partnerships for the Vermont Learners’ Association. This bill would grant student school board members voting rights, amplifying student voices in education decisions that directly affect them. My commitment extends beyond legislation. I organized a voter registration drive at my school through the Vermont League of Women Voters, ensuring that peers could exercise their fundamental right.
My work reflects my deep commitment to voting access, which is democracy’s foundation. The SAVE Act threatens that foundation. I believe strongly in expanding voting rights, not restricting them.
Return to the Winona Smith Scholarship Recipients Page | Return to the Winona Smith Scholarship Information Page