Courtney Blackett

On April 10, The U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act”.

Also known as the SAVE Act, this bill seeks to amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.

The Republican party has spearheaded this initiative, claiming that the need for this bill stems from voter fraud. Their sentiments echo those of President Trump, as proof of U.S. citizenship is one of his top election-related priorities.

Last month, Trump issued an executive order aimed at revamping the U.S. election system. The order called for individuals to provide official proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and requires that all ballots be received by Election Day.

This is the second time that Republicans tried to pass the SAVE Act. Last year it passed the House but lost in the Senate due to intense Democratic opposition. Now, the bill is in the hands of the Senate, needing at least 7 Democrats to vote yes. 

The bill proposes multiple new additions to the voter registration process, raising concerns about the potential disenfranchisement of millions of U.S. voters, especially women. The SAVE Act requires in-person voter registration, with original or certified documents proving identity and U.S. citizenship. For most Americans, that would mean showing a passport or birth certificate. However, not all U.S. citizens have the proper documents readily available. For instance, more than half of Americans don’t have a passport. Among the acceptable documents are a valid U.S. passport and a government-issued photo ID card presented alongside a certified birth certificate.

The Brennan Center for Justice and other groups estimated in a 2023 report that 9% of U.S. citizens of voting age, or 21.3 million people, do not have proof of their citizenship readily available.

Democrats are especially concerned about the extra requirements, specifically worrying about older people in assisted care facilities and military service members who wouldn’t be able to solely use their military IDs. 

Additionally, women are expected to be disproportionately affected, especially married women. Approximately 69 million American women have taken their partner’s last name, so their current legal name doesn’t match the one on their birth certificate. This would force married women to need multiple documents to prove their citizenship if they have changed their name, creating even more obstacles for these voters. 

As a response to this worry, Republicans will give states discretion on determining registration processes.“The truth is, those who were registered to vote would still be able to vote under their current registration,” said Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who sponsored the bill. “We have mechanisms giving the state fairly significant deference to make determinations as to how to structure the situation where an individual does have a name change, which of course is often women.”

Legal experts worry that the vagueness of the bill will cause uneven policies across the country because it is up to individual states, meaning that some states will enforce stricter requirements.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed this concern in a press conference.

“The Democrats have been fear mongering about this bill, have been saying if married women change their name, they would not be able to vote. That is a complete fallacy,” she said.