Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act
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| Acronyms (colloquial) | SAVE Act |
|---|---|
| Number of co-sponsors | 110[citation needed] |
| Codification | |
| Acts amended | National Voter Registration Act of 1993 |
| Legislative history | |
| |
The SAVE Act is a proposed United States law that would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require "documentary proof of United States citizenship" to register to vote.[1]
Background
[edit]The bill's stated purpose is to prevent non-citizens from voting in federal elections.
Provisions
[edit]The bill defines "documentary proof of United States citizenship".[2] Valid documents for verifying citizenship include birth certificates, U.S. passports, naturalization paperwork, and enhanced driver's licenses, which are versions of the Real ID that indicate citizenship.[3] Only five of 50 states, namely Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington, currently issue enhanced driver's licenses that indicate citizenship status.[4] Ohio passed a law in 2023 permitting issuance of enhanced driver's licenses for an additional $25 fee but has not yet begun implementing it.[5] Non-enhanced driver's licenses or state ID cards, U.S. military ID cards, and tribal identification documents would not be sufficient since they do not indicate citizenship status and can be issued to non-citizen legal residents of the United States.[6]
The bill states that those who register to vote by mail "shall not be registered to vote in an election for Federal office unless (...) documentary proof of United States citizenship" is presented in person. It would likely also curtail the use of automatic voter registration ("motor voter" laws), and online voter registration.[6]
The bill requires removal of non-citizens from existing voter rolls.[1]
Opposition
[edit]Non-citizens voting in federal elections is rare and already illegal.[7][8]
Opponents of the bill argue that the bill is intended to suppress voter turnout, as voter registration forms already require driver's license numbers and the last four digits of the applicant's social security number, which registrars use to confirm eligibility via U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration, and U.S. Postal Service databases.[6] An analysis by the Center for American Progress found some voters in Alaska and Hawaii would need to fly to reach their election office in accordance with the in person requirement to vote by mail.[9] The analysis also found that an estimated 69 million women and 4 million men have a last name that does not match their birth certificate.[10] This provision would similarly impact transgender people whose legal names do not match their birth certificates.[11][8]
Research from the Brennan Center, "indicates that more than 9 percent of American citizens of voting age, or 21.3 million people, don't have proof of citizenship readily available".[12] The center said the act "would compel voter roll purges that are bound to sweep in eligible American voters" and that "when Arizona and Kansas implemented similar policies at the state level, tens of thousands of eligible citizens were blocked from registering", concluding, "the SAVE Act's proof-of-citizenship requirement is a solution in search of a problem".[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Bacskai, Owen; Sweren-Becker, Eliza (2025-02-20). "House Bill Would Hurt American Voters". Brennan Center for Justice.
- ^ "Text of H.R. 22: SAVE Act (Passed the House version)". GovTrack.us.
- ^ Kim, Juliana (2025-04-13). "Will the SAVE Act make it harder for married women to vote? We ask legal experts". NPR. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
- ^ "REAL ID FAQs | Homeland Security". www.dhs.gov. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
- ^ "Ohio's new enhanced driver's licenses — how do they work?". WDTN.com. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
- ^ a b c Walrath-Holdridge, Mary; Waddick, Karissa; Beggin, Riley. "What is the SAVE Act and why are married women concerned? Here's what to know". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
- ^ Lotz, Avery (2025-04-10). "The SAVE Act: What to know about the House-passed bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote". Axios.
- ^ a b "SAVE Act would disenfranchise trans people, women, others". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ^ Joffe-Block, Jude (2025-04-10). "The House has passed the Trump-backed SAVE Act. Here are 8 things to know". NPR.
- ^ "The SAVE Act Would Disenfranchise Millions of Citizens". Center for American Progress. 2025-01-31.
- ^ "What the SAVE Act could mean for millions of voters, according to a Brennan Center expert". NPR. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ^ Morris, Kevin; Henry, Cora (2024-04-12). "Millions of Americans Don't Have Documents Proving Their Citizenship Readily Available". Brennan Center for Justice.