The Republican majority in Congress has prioritized the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act proposed by Rep. Chip Roy from Texas. If passed, this bill would become the very first voter suppression law enacted by that body as of recent, or ever. The stated intention of the bill is to prevent undocumented immigrants from voting in federal elections. However, this is already illegal under federal law and is punishable by up to five years in prison. Additionally, election officials already use state and federal data to verify an individual’s eligibility to cast a ballot. The SAVE Act would change this by changing the responsibility of verifying voter eligibility from election officials to U.S. citizens. It is crucial to note that documentation requirements are already in place for people registering to vote.
If enacted, the SAVE Act would disenfranchise millions of American citizens. It would essentially require every voter to provide a birth certificate, passport, or any other document demonstrating U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.
Over 140 million American citizens do not possess a passport, and as many as 69 million women who have taken their spouse’s name do not have a birth certificate that matches their legal name. The bill would also affect millions of transgender Americans whose documents do not reflect the name they use. The SAVE Act also has the potential to completely eradicate Native American vote turnout by exacerbating current barriers to voting faced by native communities. Such obstacles include long distances to polling places, language barriers, invalid addresses, and more.
Each year, millions of Americans register or re-register to vote by mail, online, or through voter registration drives. These methods of registering would no longer be an option if the SAVE Act passed and required people to show their papers to an election official in person. This would be extremely problematic as over 50 million citizens used one of the above methods to register between 2018 and 2022, as opposed to the less than 12 million who registered in person with election officials. Additionally, driver’s licenses as well as military or tribal IDs would not be sufficient forms of documentation to prove citizenship.
The exclusionary voting regulations of the Jim Crow era and before had been generally codified in state law, so this may mark the very first time Congress has ever used its authority to create unnecessary obstacles to voting. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, passed 60 years ago, was arguably the most important piece of voting rights legislation in the history of the U.S. The Voting Rights Act outlawed any “tests and devices” that were used in some areas of the country to deny people of color the opportunity to vote. Historically, the most common obstacles were literacy tests and poll taxes.
On March 22nd, advocates gathered outside Michigan’s Capitol to rally against the proposed SAVE Act. The event, “Uncle Sam Wants YOU to Stop the SAVE Act”, was founded and hosted by Cara Erskine, with co-host Larry Jackson, Ottawa County Democratic Chair. It was organized by the Great Lakes Democracy Alliance. Activists at the event shared their concerns for losing the vote that their ancestors had fought so hard to obtain.
Voting rights in the U.S. have not been infringed upon in 60 years. It is unacceptable to allow Congress to take this massive step in the wrong direction. The SAVE Act threatens to disenfranchise millions of American citizens in a dangerous and irresponsible manner. Out-of-touch politicians who are willing to trample on the rights of millions, including their own constituents, are the only Americans who stand to benefit from the SAVE Act. This bill would upend the way every American citizen registers to vote, and create unnecessary obstacles targeting millions of female citizens, transgender citizens, and native citizens.
By Julia Panos
Sources:
210. 2025. “Voting Rights Act at 60: Congress Could Hit New Low with SAVE Act.” Brennan Center for Justice. January 31, 2025. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/voting-rights-act-60-congress-could-hit-new-low-save-act.
King, Trevor, and Taryn Simmons. 2025. “Activists Rally against SAVE Act at Capitol.” WLNS 6 News. March 22, 2025. https://www.wlns.com/news/activists-rally-against-save-act-at-capitol/.
Beaudouin, Will. 2025. “The SAVE Act Would Disenfranchise Millions of Citizens.” Center for American Progress. January 31, 2025. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-save-act-would-disenfranchise-millions-of-citizens/.
Bardwell, Neely. 2025. “The SAVE Act Could Block Millions of Americans from Voting, Including Native Americans.” Nativenewsonline.net. Native News Online. March 20, 2025. https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/the-save-act-could-block-millions-of-americans-from-voting-including-native-americans.
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