Jessica Yellin Instagram – HOUSE ADVANCES “SAVE” ACT
The House voted to pass a bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections today, codifying a Trump executive action.
If passed by the Senate, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would amend the National Voter Registration Act to require individuals to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The bill would also take noncitizens off of states’ eligible voters lists and allow voters to sue election officials that don’t follow the proof of citizenship process.
Democrats Ed Case (HI), Henry Cuellar (TX), Jared Golden (ME) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA) joined all Republicans in voting “yes” on the bill.
The SAVE Act raised concerns among voting rights activists and election officials who said it would keep millions of citizens who don’t have easy access to proof of citizenship documents, like a birth certificate, from voting. It would also disenfranchise married women whose ID documents may not reflect name changes.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, about 21 million citizens don’t have their proof of citizenship readily available — they might be in safety deposit boxes, at a family member’s house or simply lost, destroyed or stolen. They found that 11% of those who don’t have ready access are Americans of color, which is disproportionate to the 8% who are white.
As the bill heads to the Senate, it needs support from every Republican and seven Democrats to reach the 60-vote threshold and pass.
Given that it’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote, what do you think the goal of the SAVE Act actually is? Let us know in the comments.
#womensrights #citizenship #equality | Posted on 11/Apr/2025 03:29:40
