The SAVE Act: Latest Voting Rights Attack

By Stacy M. Brown
Senior National Correspondent
BlackPressUSA.com

Donald Trump, who once promised on the campaign trail that his supporters would never have to vote again, now appears to be halfway to delivering on that threat with the so-called SAVE Act, or “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.”

The legislation, passed in the House by a 220-208 vote, would require in-person documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote – a move voting rights experts warn will disenfranchise millions of eligible voters, especially women and people of color. What’s more, four Democrats – Jared Golden, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Henry Cuellar, and Ed Case – broke ranks and supported the bill.

The SAVE Act, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, would amend the National Voter Registration Act to require in-person citizenship verification using documents such as a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization certificate. It would effectively end online and mail voter registration, severely restrict voter registration drives, and allow lawsuits against election officials who do not enforce the new rules.

Voting rights advocates say this would create enormous hurdles for poor people, rural residents, Black Americans, naturalized citizens, and the nearly 70 million women whose current legal names differ from those on their birth certificates due to marriage.

Under the bill’s provisions, rural residents without access to government offices, married women whose identification does not match their birth certificates, would face some of the steepest barriers to registration.

Also, young voters without driver’s licenses would face barriers to registration. Studies show that only half of all Americans – and just one-third of Black Americans  – hold valid U.S. passports. Nearly half of all Black Americans under 30 do not have a driver’s license with their current name and address.

The Senate’s path forward on the SAVE Act remains uncertain. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has introduced a companion bill with 20 Republican co-sponsors. However, Senate Republicans would still need at least 60 votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster and send the bill to Trump’s desk.