Brennan Center for Justice Report: The Campaign to Undermine the Next Election

Passport / SAVE Act Requirements and Who Gets Disenfranchised

• Several comments focus on the proposed passport/citizenship-document requirement (SAVE Act) as de facto mass disenfranchisement, not a neutral ID check.
• Data linked shows only ~1/3 of Americans have passports, with very small partisan differences nationally; others argue national averages hide large state and class differences.
• People note that requiring passports effectively limits voting to those who’ve had the money and need to travel abroad in the past decade.
• A cited analysis says tens of millions of women changed surnames and therefore lack a birth certificate matching their legal name; they wouldn’t be automatically barred but would need extra paperwork.

ID to Vote: EU Frictionless vs. US Weaponized

• An EU-based commenter describes simple, universal ID and voter-registration processes and sees ID-as-such as uncontroversial.
• US-focused replies say the controversy isn’t ID in principle but states using ID rules as a “backdoor” to suppress turnout, especially for poor and minority voters.
• Examples given: closing DMV offices, limited hours, long waits, documentation hurdles, fees, and difficulty obtaining birth certificates (sometimes privatized and slow/expensive).
• Homeless people, the very poor, and some religious groups (e.g., those avoiding photo IDs) are highlighted as particularly vulnerable.

Voter Fraud vs. Voter Suppression

• One camp insists ID is necessary to prevent noncitizen voting and to reassure the public about election legitimacy, arguing even small numbers matter in close races.
• Others cite audits and research indicating noncitizen voting is extremely rare, and argue the real, large, measurable effect is on legal voters being blocked.
• Some argue that if ID is required, it must be coupled with genuinely easy, universal, free access to qualifying ID; absent that, it functions like a modern poll tax.
• A participant initially supporting ID acknowledges being convinced that fraud risk is lower than they assumed but still views better ID systems as the long-term fix.

Structural Manipulation: Gerrymandering and System Design

• Texas is cited as attempting new gerrymanders to protect incumbents amid discontent with Trump and Congress.
• Both parties gerrymander, but many commenters say voters broadly oppose it; reform is blocked by constitutional structure and moneyed interests (e.g., Citizens United).
• Some note the irony that stricter rules may now also harm rural, low-propensity Republican voters, not just Democrats.

Authoritarian Drift, Media, and Public Apathy

• Multiple comments frame these changes as part of a broader slide from flawed democracy toward autocracy, referencing Project 2025 and talk of prosecuting political opponents.
• There is concern about normalization of corruption, pressure on law firms, and the Supreme Court’s broad presidential immunity doctrine.
• Commenters blame decades of weakened public education and partisan media for a public that lacks overview and fails to respond to warning signs.

Foreign Interference and Broader Cynicism

• One branch notes that the Brennan report covers only domestic threats, while foreign actors (e.g., China using AI for information warfare) add another layer.
• Some express deep cynicism that US democracy is already captured by billionaires and major lobbies; others counter that large policy differences still exist and remain very consequential.