Letters: The SAVE Act fine print; Right ruling, but support of public media still needed

The SAVE Act fine print

Many Americans support the SAVE Act (currently debated in the Senate) as a voter ID bill. It would place voter identification under federal control. But there is more in the fine print, according to the League of Women Voters of PA.

The SAVE Act would require in person voter registration and presentation of citizenship documents (not just a Pennsylvania Real ID); this has been reported. But the Act would also require:

• All states to submit their voter rolls to U.S. Department of Homeland Security for verification.
• Election workers (including our local poll workers) to face possible criminal penalties for failing to properly verify a voter’s eligibility. Anyone could accuse a poll worker.
• Mail-in voters to include a copy of photo ID when requesting and returning MIB, which election offices would store. This could effectively eliminate mail-in voting.
• Immediate implementation with no federal funding, requiring last-minute changes before midterms, putting a chaotic burden on underfunded county election offices.

This lesser-known SAVE Act fine print will sow uncertainty and distrust about the midterm elections, creating groundwork for claiming fraud.

Senate supporters are working to find votes or procedures to enable SAVE Act passage. The LWV of Centre County work to educate, encourage and empower all citizens to vote. This act will eliminate some of your neighbors, co-workers, friends and family from voting. Please call both our PA senators and tell them to vote no on the SAVE Act, if possible, every day until it is voted down.

Kathleen O’Connell, League of Women Voters of Centre County president; Sharon Manno, LWVCC secretary and Sue Floyd, LWVCC treasurer.

Right ruling, but support of public media still needed

Recently, a federal court struck down an executive order that sought to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS, ruling that it violated the First Amendment by targeting public media for its journalism. This is a meaningful win for free speech and an independent press. Simply put, it fortifies the reasons that already ensure that WPSU is seen by you as one of the most trusted sources of news and lifelong learning in the marketplace.

However, this ruling does not mean federal funding will be restored. Congress had already approved the removal of those funds, and the system that distributed them, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, no longer exists. In practical terms, public media stations like WPSU can’t expect those dollars to return.

That makes your support more important than ever. Public media’s strength has always come from the communities it serves. Your investment ensures that trusted, fact-based reporting, lifelong learning, quality entertainment and science programming along with essential local services continue, regardless of political shifts.

Thank you for standing with WPSU and for helping sustain independent, non-commercial public media when it matters most.

Greg Petersen, State College