Annapolis, MD September 8, 2025 — Speaking on Lawyer’s Mall in front of the Maryland State House today, Kate Sullivan, Executive Director of Secure the Vote MD, urged citizens to recognize vulnerabilities in Maryland’s election system and take action by supporting the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, known in Congress as H.R. 22.
The SAVE Act, which has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives, would require voters to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. While critics argue that the measure could disenfranchise eligible Americans, advocates see it as a necessary step to strengthen election security. Sullivan called on Marylanders to hold leaders accountable and push for reforms that protect the integrity of the ballot box.
“Maryland reports a 98% voter registration rate compared to the national average of 75%. Are we really that exceptional, or are our voter rolls bloated?” Sullivan asked. “This is the question we’ve been asking for years—and now even the Department of Justice is asking the same. Until we get answers, voter verification is more important than ever.”
Secure the Vote MD, a citizen-led watchdog organization, has identified 238,488 registration violations in Maryland’s voter rolls—records tied to deceased individuals, duplicates, and voters who have moved but remain listed. Sullivan argued that these represent not just clerical issues, but potential vulnerabilities to Maryland’s election infrastructure.
“Every one of those 238,488 entries is a crack in the foundation of our democracy,” she said. “We know it. The DoJ knows it. And they know it. Our job as citizens is to insist our election officials close those gaps.”
Sullivan emphasized that while federal action is important, real election security begins at the local level. She called on Marylanders to get involved by:
- Supporting passage of the SAVE Act.
- Demanding Voter ID legislation in Maryland.
- Volunteering as election judges to help run secure elections.
- Checking their own voter registrations—and encouraging family members to do the same.
“Elections belong to the people,” Sullivan concluded. “It’s up to us to demand transparency, accuracy, and security at every step of the process.”
For more information, Maryland citizens are encouraged to visit SecurethevoteMD.com.