Altoona resident urges Blair County not to implement proposed 'Save America Act'

Lawrence Carter, an Altoona resident, used the public comment period at the Blair County Board of Commissioners meeting on April 16 to urge commissioners not to implement or comply with the proposed "Save America Act." He told the board the plan would require documentary proof of citizenship — including a photo ID and birth certificate — and would end mail-in voting.

"The Blair County commissioners should not adhere to the proposed Save America Act with its illegal and egregious requirements," Carter said during his three-minute comment. He warned that women could lose the right to vote if their maiden name appears on a birth certificate but not on a photo ID.

Carter also raised costs he said would fall to local government if the measure were implemented. Citing estimates from Washington state, he said the initiative could cost between $35 million and $39 million to start in that state and argued Blair County would need to hire additional staff, create new software and establish new vote-counting and reporting systems to comply. "In order to administer the Save America Act, Blair County will have to hire additional staff, develop new computer software, develop new voter counting reporting systems, and answer to the federal government on matters of voting," he said.

The comment was delivered during the public-comment portion of the commissioners' meeting. Commissioners did not take action on the subject during the session; no formal referral, vote or staff direction on the topic was recorded in the meeting minutes.

Carter framed his remarks as a defense of existing state and federal authority, saying the measure "is in direct violation of the state and federal separation [of powers]." The transcript does not include a response from county staff or a commissioner addressing the factual claims he cited.

Next procedural steps, if any, were not specified during the meeting.