<![CDATA[Erath County Democratic Party - Community Voices - The ECDP Blog]]>Fri, 15 May 2026 19:04:10 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[The Save Act & Save America Act 2026]]>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 22:21:57 GMThttps://www.erathdemocrats.org/blog/the-save-act-save-america-act-2026​The SAVE act  (Chip Roy 2025)  SAVE America Act 2026 (Mike Lee, Lindsay Graham)

Reasons to be watchful on the Save America Act, and it’s possible state-level clones.


Gloss of the Save Act
    Wikipedia has a good article on the proposed legislation (link at end).  The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE Act, and the 2026 version: SAVE America Act, is a proposed United States law that would require "documentary proof of United States citizenship" to register to vote in federal elections—with add-ons.  The Campaign Legal Center has a good brief overview.  I’m not going to duplicate those sources, just highlight certain items. 
    Short, but big item: The legislation goes into affect immediately after it becomes law.
  Also, for grins:  The bills state the paperwork reduction guidelines do not apply.
    First section is about registering to vote.   Registering by mail requires follow-up.
 In states where you can register on day of voting, proof of citizenship has to be presented at that time.  Following is a section about removing voters you don’t trust because they might not be citizens.  And then a section about penalties for election officials.
    The third section is about proving yourself at the polling place.  A photo ID is required for voting…Maybe states are exempted if they have submitted list of eligible voters to Dept pf Homeland Security(?).   

    There is an argument that this proposed legislation should be tossed as unconstitutional, because the constitution states that the states run the elections.  The legislation consistently talks about requirements “for federal elections” as if that separated the issue from state purview.  However, much of the act modifies the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, signed by Clinton, to mandate easier voter registration by the states, particularly through procedures for getting a driver’s license.*  So for the voter registration aspect, that horse has left the barn.    The third section addresses voting, so still a constitutional question, maybe.
    * That law, signed in 1993, went into effect in 1995.  Whereas…

 History
  The 2025 bill passed in the House, but not the Senate.
  The 2026 version passed the House, but has not been voted on in the Senate. [? Trump has insisted the bill be passed and that it contain amendments banning mail-in voting (with some exceptions), and new provisions against transgender rights (which would have to clear both houses).  The bill has been amended in the Senate to address Trump’s demands.?]

Provisions
    Reading just the first part of the act, most of us will come away not too alarmed.  This is because the act begins by saying proof of U.S. citizenship means “any of the following documents”.  The full list is appended.  I think if you have obtained a Texas driver’s license, or updated your license recently, it will be a “Real ID” and so     qualify.  Several states have already in place this list (or mostly the same) for people applying for a Real ID or Enhanced ID.  
    The list is appended, below.
    The act demands that registering to vote by mail requires a follow-up, a delivery of photo ID and proof of citizenship to the registrar. (States are required to make allowances for disabled, etc.)  
    There is much dreck to go through, and I may discount some of it that proves important.  There is language about removing non-eligible voters (which illustrates that some mandated voter registration steps are not needed) and potential penalties for officials who administer elections.  This latter section could have real effect of causing officials to go beyond  standard practice just to insure they are not challenged.

    Finally, after making it harder to register by mail and insuring that non-citizens are not registering, we get down to Section 3, “PHOTO VOTER IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED FOR VOTING IN A FEDERAL ELECTION”.  So, here again the federal legislation attempts to take over the state charge to manage elections.  And again, we have stated requirements for an “eligible photo identification document”.  Basically, besides a photo, and being from one of an accepted list of issuing authorities, the ID needs to have full legal name, something that proves you are a citizen, and either the issuer’s identification number or the last 4 digits of SS number.  Does our Texas “Real ID” prove we are a citizen? Here’s where the legal name vs birth name problem show itself.  Some requirements are waived if the state uses the SAVE system for excluding non-citizens.  
    You can prove yourself at the polls with a less-than-perfect ID along with another document that shows you are a citizen.  Maybe this will not be such an issue in Erath County, but think about how this would slow down the voting line in Dallas and Fort Worth if just 10% of voters needed to do this.

The section also presents an additional identification step for absentee voting.

    The bill does not authorize federal funding for the new state responsibilities it creates, and it includes no phase-in period.
The bill requires removal of suspected non-citizens from existing voter rolls, though it does not require prior notification of erroneous removals.
The 2026 version of the bill also adds the requirement for states to share unredacted voting rolls with the Department of Homeland Security as another means to validate citizenship.


Beyond the Basics
   I think the impact of the proposed legislation would depend to a big degree on the bent of state officials.  The bill would provide cover for rulings that we all have to re-register, for example.  The bill promotes states signing on to the SAVE system for identification of non-citizens, a system which has a reputation as imperfect.  Texas and other states could use this as a template for new state laws.

     Who says that Texas DL is or is not compliant?  I assume this would be our Secretary of State, Jane Nelson.  Her Facebook information casts her in a favorable light.  However, she did go along with removing Texas from the federal ERIC system.
    I wonder if county election officials being primed to be a problem?  Would we be informed? How to respond to that?  Have there been communications from the state Democratic leadership on this bill? 
    Perhaps this measure is just to get a foot inside the door.


References, Additional Info:


From HRC newsletter, March 21, 2026
  about the period following the civil war:
“When white former Confederates in Georgia nonetheless tried to keep Black Americans from holding office, expelling Black legislators from the legislature after the 1868 election, Congress continued to insist on equality. It refused to seat the elected lawmakers from Georgia in the U.S. Congress and wrote the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution to specify that equal rights included having a say in government. The Fifteenth Amendment said: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Once again, it gave power to Congress to enforce the amendment.”

From a voices of democratic women FB post:
    Since this comes up a lot in discussions about the SAVE Act, remember that there’s a difference between a marriage license and a marriage certificate. To obtain legal identification like a Real ID or a passport, it’s the marriage certificate that you need, not the marriage license. 
I know many married people who have their marriage license but don’t have their marriage certificate – or at least don’t have it handy where they can easily locate it.
Of course, with regards to the SAVE Act, this may be irrelevant because – despite what AI or some right-wing media outlets might claim – this bill doesn’t say you can use a marriage certificate as a “bridge” document to prove a name change.

******

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Voter_Registration_Act_of_1993
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safeguard_American_Voter_Eligibility_Act
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/27/texas-save-database-voter-rolls-removal-dps-secretary-of-state/

https://campaignlegal.org/
https://campaignlegal.org/update/clc-sues-texas-over-save-system-usage-conduct-voter-purges

https://campaignlegal.org/update/what-you-need-know-about-save-act

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/hr7296/text

List of documentation:


The legislation’s author, Chip Roy, did not have to come up with the list of documents to use to establish citizenship.  Various states have these documents listed to use to get a Real Id or Enhanced ID.  

    ‘‘(1) A form of identification issued consistent
with the requirements of the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates the applicant is a citizen of the United States. (“that indicates”…apparently not all Real ID’s do so indicate.)
 ‘‘(2) A valid United States passport.
‘‘(3) The applicant’s official United States military identification card, together with a United
States military record of service showing that the
applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.
‘‘(4) A valid government-issued photo identification card issued by a Federal, State or Tribal government showing that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.
‘‘(5) A valid government-issued photo identification card issued by a Federal, State or Tribal government other than an identification described in
paragraphs (1) through (4), but only if presented together with one or more of the following:
‘‘(A) A certified birth certificate issued by a State, a unit of local government in a State,
or a Tribal government which—
 ‘‘(i) was issued by the State, unit of local government, or Tribal government in
which the applicant was born;
‘‘(ii) was filed with the office responsible for keeping vital records in the State;
 ‘‘(iii) includes the full name, date of birth, and place of birth of the applicant;
‘‘(iv) lists the full names of one or both of the parents of the applicant;
 ‘‘(v) has the signature of an individual who is authorized to sign birth certificates
 on behalf of the State, unit of local government, or Tribal government in which the applicant was born;

 ‘‘(vi) includes the date that the certificate was filed with the office responsible for keeping vital records in the State; and
 ‘‘(vii) has the seal of the State, unit of local government, or Tribal government that issued the birth certificate.
 ‘‘(B) An extract from a United States hospital Record of Birth created at the time of the
 applicant’s birth which indicates that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.
‘‘(C) A final adoption decree showing the applicant’s name and that the applicant’s place
 of birth was in the United States.
 ‘‘(D) A Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a citizen of the United States or a certification of the applicant’s Report of Birth of a United States citizen issued by the Secretary of
 State.
 ‘‘(E) A Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of Citizenship issued by the Secretary of
 Homeland Security or any other document or method of proof of United States citizenship
 issued by the Federal government pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act.
‘‘(F) An American Indian Card issued by the Department of Homeland Security with the classification ‘KIC’.’’
*****]]><![CDATA[Sunday Best Is Everyday Wear]]>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 15:47:13 GMThttps://www.erathdemocrats.org/blog/sunday-best-is-everyday-wearIt's interesting to stand on a blue protest line in a red town in a red county in a red state in a red nation. I stand with the others deflecting verbal expletives and obscene gestures, amid the sound of screeching tires, the smell of burning rubber and diesel smoke from trucks whose engines are much too big for their drivers' skill, intellect, maturity, and tiny endowment. I stand there. I observe. I deflect, saddened by the apathy and ignorance parading by. And I think.
Protesters at an ICE Out Demonstration in Erath County, Texas
My thoughts today, being a Sunday, are directed to you in your Sunday best. Some of you glare disapprovingly, shaking a head and mumbling to others in the car. Most of you are apathetic, avoiding even the slightest interaction. I wonder if you believe you are justified to the extent you could cast the first stone? Or if you recognize your own hypocrisy and are simply walking away? I judge you today as having chosen maga’s propaganda over Christ’s scriptures.

Hypocrisy is a powerful accusation, one quickly invoking the defensive catch-all retort , “judge not, lest you be judged." Let there be no mistake, that verse does not absolve me from the responsibility to point out your adherence to misguided beliefs and actions, from trying to guide you in the way of righteousness. Strict adherence to “judge not” negates the entire foundational need for ministry, pulpit preaching, or evangelism - all of which judge the darkness of the world is in need of enlightenment. Of discernment and righteous judgement. Sanctioned judgment precedes Christian evangalism. Judgement and offering an alternative direction are my obligations, not accepting that judgement is your right. I am told to clean your dust off my feet and move on.
Demonstrators holding protest signs about ICE violence across the nation.
Look at us holding these cardboard signs. See us. We are your friends, neighbors, and co-workers. College students. Retired seniors on fixed incomes and prescriptions to keep us going. Working laborers and professionals. Middle and lower class. We are parents and grandparents. We are NOT paid protestors, pathetic losers, screaming liberals. We are NOT heathen atheists; many of us rushed from worship in our respective faiths to be here. (Perhaps some shun organized religion but I can’t blame them given the current environment of hatred, exclusion, and racism projected by fundamentalist Christians and maga pushing a political agenda.) We are not even all democrats; some are actually political and religious conservatives currently without a place to call home, welcomed in by a group known to embrace those in need. We are not connected by politics or social positions. We are, however, unequivocally bound and strongly united by a real and true belief in RIGHT vs WRONG, dedication to the constitution and the rights it protects, devotion to human equality and dignity. To humanity. To Christian values. Look at us. See us.

Christ never condemned the poor, sick, hungry, homeless, or foreign. Maga does. He never condemned those standing up and helping those less fortunate. Maga does. Christ actually mandated a responsibility to care for the downtrodden and lift them by word and deed. A Christian duty. To do otherwise - demonize, neglect, ostracize, persecute- is wrong. Maga does. He did, however, condemn the wealthy, those choosing earthly wealth, fame, and power over Christian values. Maga is. He condemned the hypocrites, choosing public acceptance and popularity over Christian values. Maga is. He condemned the wolves in sheep’s clothing and false prophets. Maga is. He condemned those sowing seeds of division. Maga is. He condemned those doing nothing, those burying their talents and hoarding Christian values with no increase.
A local demonstrator holding an American flag with a protest sign reading
At best, many of you are passing on the other side of the road to avoid aiding the battered and broken countryman. Sadly, maga encourages you to ridicule, kick, and throw dirt in his face before crossing the road. ICE would grab the Samaritan and throw him to the ground in handcuffs, arrest and detain him. He is, after all, a foreigner. Homeland Security would break down the doors and close the inn for interfering. The poor beaten man, with no funds or healthcare, would be tossed in the alley to die. That is the maga way, not the examples given by Christ.

Those condemning Christ in Pilot’s court also refused to listen, ignoring all their knowledge and faith to agree with the leaders of the synagogue - those believing their wealth, power, and social position were threatened. The followers remained silent, refused to speak up and defend Christ. Eventually, they became part of the howling mob, “Crucify him! Crucify him! Give us Barabus!” They watched him be led away to be crucified. They did nothing. If you are remaining silent OR vocally supporting the maga regime, you are guilty of nailing Christ to the cross once again. Undeniable. Silence is perceived as consensus; defending maga’s hateful words and deeds is perceived as participation in unChristian fascism . Your negative influence will never make the world a better place, Adherence to maga dogmas of prosecution, persecution, hatred, neglect, racism, discrimination, etc… will certainly not make anything great…ever.
Local demonstrators holding ICE Out signs over the January 10-11, 2026 weekend at the Erath County Courthouse in Stephenville, TX
The time is now to stand up for your Christian values. You are being tested and tempted, as Christ was and told you it would happen. He told you to be prepared. You know we should feed the hungry and care for widows, orphans, homeless, and sick. Those are Christian values, not Democratic liberal rhetoric. We should treat all people fairly and with dignity and honor. Those are Christian values, not libtard babble. We should honor the intrinsic worth of humanity, generally,and individuals, specifically - even foreigners, immigrants, minorities. Those are Christian values, not anti-American rhetoric. And we should respect the free-will of our citizenry to live their lives as they choose, with whom, believe as they want, and decide their own color scheme. Free will is a gift from God to all of us and no one has the right to take that free will away - not the government, not maga, not bullies. and not fundamentalist KKKhristians. This free-will leads to choices made, paths taken, lives lived. Then, God’s judgement. It’s how it works. It's Christian values and it's what truly makes America great.
​
I ask the next time you see a line or group of protestors, look. See! If your informed choice and maga state of mind leads you to pass by and jeer, condemn and mock - you now know you are seen. You are heard. And we love you and are standing on the line for you, too. Hopefully, however, you will recognize your own calling to “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds…” Stop and join us as we unite to keep Americans free, protect basic human rights, and treat life and love with the respect and kindness it deserves. What Would Jesus Do? RIGHT IS MIGHT!
Picture
Kay Hock
Kay Hock is a lifetime resident of Erath county, retired Business Manager of a 1-A school, and mother of two grown professionals. She has only recently taken a foray into political activism, wielding a protest sign occasionally and pen often -hoping these calls to action help contribute to a brighter future beyond the current dark and desperate days. For the love of all.
]]><![CDATA[Roger Williams Contact 2024]]>Fri, 26 Dec 2025 19:18:56 GMThttps://www.erathdemocrats.org/blog/roger-williams-contact-2024This is not an interesting post, but just following through on an idea I had to log responses from Roger Williams to my email requests.  Previously, I have just emailed a protest without asking for a response.  The fall of 2024 I did get responses, though mostly not timely--some during the time the congress was dismissed...
.........
Oct 24 2025
Honorable sir, What is your stand on Trump’s treatment of our beef industry?  Will you be protesting the administrations favorable treatment of Argentina over our ranchers?

Oct 26, 2025
Sir,
  You have been an advocate for small government.  It’s hard to tell if we are getting there, because Trump seems to be ignoring congress.  Will you be speaking out for true congressional control of the federal budget?


Oct 28
Sir, Do you agree that the administrations use of tariffs has done harm to Texas farmers?  Is congress going to help us here?


From RW 10-31-2025
Dear Mr. Brock,
Thank you for taking the time to contact me. It is good to hear from you and I appreciate the opportunity to respond. Democracy thrives on participation, and I’m grateful for input from the Constituents of Texas’ 25th District. This information better helps me understand the needs of the district, and influences how I approach issues in Congress. I encourage each and every American to engage in our democratic process, and to have a voice, even if opinions might differ. As Lawmakers debate this important issue, please know that I will perform my due diligence, and give full consideration to all relevant legislation before making any decision. It is the honor of my lifetime to represent you in Congress, and I look forward to hearing from you in the future. For additional information, to include specific policy positions, please visit my website at williams.house.gov. Be sure to subscribe to my email newsletter (williams.house.gov/contact/newsletter) to keep informed on what I am doing on behalf of Texans here in Washington.

From RW 10-31-2025  His newsletter makes reference to farmers’ issues.

Dear Mr. Brock,
Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts regarding the Administration’s recent decision involving Argentinian beef imports. It is good to hear from you, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond.
Our nation depends on the hard work of Texan farmers, ranchers, and producers. While I believe the Administration’s decision to partner with Argentinian beef producers was made in good faith to help lower grocery prices for American families, this action could risk undercutting U.S. cattle production and displace the safe, high-quality beef our producers work tirelessly to provide. It is essential that we keep American beef great and we do not undermine the years of investment and dedication that have built this industry. Please know that I will continue working with the Administration to find a solution that supports affordability for consumers while protecting Texas cattlemen and the integrity of American beef.

Nov. 9
Dear sir:  I feel it is time to reopen the government before we do ourselves more harm.  Texas and Texans are being held back.  I hope you will add your voice to those who urge the speaker to bring back the congress to do whatever is needed.  You are not worried about the Epstein files, are you?  Please tell the speaker to work for his folks, not the whims of the president.  Will you do this?

Nov. 12 Response from Roger:
On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, extending federal Appropriations funding until November 21, 2025, by a vote of 217-212. This Continuing Resolution prevents a government shutdown without adding costly or unrelated provisions. By passing a clean Continuing Resolution, Republicans and President Trump will have time to develop a transparent and fiscally responsible plan to advance the fiscal year 2026 Appropriations process. For these reasons, I am proud to have supported this legislation to keep the government open and avoid disruptions for hardworking Americans. Sadly, Democrats refusal to act has led to a shutdown Republicans fought to prevent. Rest assured, I will continue working to deliver a responsible funding plan for the American people.
​
Nov. 24 response from Roger
Thank you for taking the time to reach out to me with your views regarding the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein. It is good to hear from you, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond. 
On November 19, 2025, President Trump signed H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law. This legislation would require the Department of Justice to publish all investigative materials in its possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein. As Congress pursues transparency in this case, it is crucial that we protect the victims throughout this process. I thank the Justice Department, the House Oversight Committee, and Speaker Johnson for their deliberate and responsible efforts to release case materials to the public. For these reasons, I voted yes when this bill was brought to the House floor and applaud President Trump for signing this bill into law.
]]>