I Voted in Every Election for 56 Years

TRANSCRIPT:
Hi, I’m Gary Ebersole, host of the Camp Codger, back for another Codger Musing. You might think the title of this podcast is a bit over the top, but it doesn’t change the fact that the SAVE America Act is pure evil. Under this anti-American act, I would NOT be able to vote if I had to prove my U.S. citizenship without a passport. That this could be possible even after voting in every election since I turned 21 in 1971 is unbelievable. How could this happen to me? It’s really not that complicated. Maybe not common, but I’m certain there are thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of people with similar stories. And much worse, if this act passes, there are tens of millions of married women with valid driver’s licenses under their married name who would have to go on a paper chase to find birth certificates and marriage licenses to prove they were born in the U.S.

The Disappearing Garald Eaton

Here’s my story. I was born 77 years ago in Yakima, Washington. I have a copy of my birth record from the state declaring a new citizen (me) entered the U.S. at St. Elizabeth Hospital on my birth date. Unfortunately, the child named on that birth certificate, Garald Edward Eaton, never grew up, never went to school, never got a driver’s license, never got married, never had children, never left a trace. However, the person Garald became lived a fulfilling, happy life.

A Sad Story and A De Facto Adoption

How did this happen? It was a sad story. Two years after I was born, my birth father died at 25. My 23-year-old mother was left with two kids, no money, and not the greatest prospects. However, fortune smiled on her, and she met and married a young widower, a decent guy, who also had two young children. My new stepfather, Carroll Ebersole, now had six mouths to feed. There simply was no money for a legal adoption. Instead, a de facto adoption took place. I became Gary Ebersole and entered kindergarten a couple of years later using that name.

Life went on, and I left my footprints in the world as Gary Ebersole. Knowledge of the “real” me, Garald Eaton, became a family secret. It never mattered until now. I was able to attend school, get a driver’s license, marry, graduate from college, begin a career, and start a family, all done as Gary Ebersole. And I thank my lucky stars that I was able to get a passport 40+ years ago without a birth certificate. In the trusting world of the 1980’s, a driver’s license and school records were sufficient to prove birthright citizenship.

Saved By A Passport

If I didn’t have that passport today, I would be unable to vote under the SAVE America Act. Quite simply, there are no records in existence to prove the connection between the baby Garald Eaton on my birth certificate and me. I don’t exist in Trump’s world, and the last person who could attest to the connection, my mother, died several years ago.

It’s stunning to think there is pending legislation in the U.S. Senate that has the potential to leave hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of birthright citizens stateless, unable to vote. Simply stunning. How did something so un-American get this far? Let’s do something. Call your Senator. Spread the word about this terrifying, Trump-backed, voter suppression legislation. Join me at the “No Kings” protest. We can’t let the SAVE America Act destroy America’s democracy.

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