Dear Editor:

The supreme principle of our constitutional republic is that our leaders govern by and with the consent of the people. Any challenge to honest and fair elections or a person’s right to vote for their chosen candidate undermines that foundation. A fraudulent or ineligible vote dilutes the voice of the lawful voter. Our country has struggled with civil rights almost since its inception.

After Democrats regained their political power in Washington in 1877, reconstruction was ended and federal troops were withdrawn from the South. The next 80-plus years were marred by Jim Crow laws, voter suppression, segregation, beatings, and lynchings. Southern Democrats repeatedly used Senate filibusters to block anti-lynching, voting rights, and civil rights bills. Notably, Strom Thurmond’s 24-hour-18-minute filibuster against Eisenhower’s Civil Rights Act of 1957 and a Southern Democratic bloc record 60-day filibuster against the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 before it passed.

Here we are in 2026 with civil rights, the Democrats, and a filibuster. Illegal voting negates a lawful citizens vote just as surely as Southern sheriffs and their dogs “protected” their ballot boxes. A citizen’s vote canceled by fraud is a ballot not cast. Democrats claim the fraud numbers are “insignificant” and some voter nullification is “okay,” however, there is no reliable way to know how many. Dirty voter rolls, no proof of citizenship, and no ID requirement leave the process vulnerable to undetectable fraud. Once a ballot goes into the box, they are counted as legitimate. The fraud numbers are small arguably because it is almost impossible to catch. Proof of citizenship when registering and use of an ID when voting will restore trust in our elections.

The SAVE America Act is a civil rights bill protecting an honest citizen’s right to cast a ballot that will not be negated by fraud. Just as Republicans stepped up to pass the 1957 and 1964 Civil Rights Acts, it is time for bipartisan action. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, contact your Senators and tell them you support voter ID, citizens-only voting, and the SAVE America Act to safeguard our elections.  

Joe Grant

Wiscasset